Saint of Sacrifice
by SaintAndromedaFire
Summary: AU of the Hades Saga. The Saints believed that the Andromeda Saint had betrayed them after the Last Holy War. However as the next Holy War draws near it becomes clear that he had never abandoned them and had saved them from a terrible fate. As he is reincarnated his fate grows stranger until he must face the past that he wished he could forget. The battle against Hades has begun.
1. Prologue: Andromeda's Tears

**Hints of past torture. Nothing too gruesome.**

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 **This story was based off of a random idea that I came up with after reading a fan fiction completely unrelated to Saint Seiya. The basic story synopsis is that the Saints believe that the Andromeda Saint had betrayed them when really he had saved them from the wrath of Hades when they had been unable to defeat him. The Holy War was postponed until next time, and they find this fact out far too late. Shun is reborn as a Saint (alongside some very familiar faces) and they set the Holy War into motion again.**

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 **This is the prologue to that story, before the actual story starts. This is set in a Holy War before Seiya and the others (though it's certainly not Lost Canvas). Basically this is a complete AU of the Hades Saga. I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a review below.**

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Prologue: Andromeda's Tears

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The clank of chains was no longer a comforting or reassuring sound. Before, it had been an assurance that his Cloth and his Cosmos were near, that he was safe. He had been here for nearly two hundred years he guessed, existing, but not living. Hades' power had kept him young, recognizable, or well, he should have been. There were so many scars across his tiny body that it was nearly impossible to think of the happy and smiling thirteen year old that he had once been. There was no smile on his face now. It was little more than a pale stone with a mouth, nose, and eyes etched onto it in the semblance of a face. There was no emotion there now. He couldn't let it show.

Because if he did, he'd cry. He'd promised that he'd never cry, not again. Not after Athena had died. The other Saints thought that he'd betrayed them and Athena, but he supposed it was a logical conclusion to jump to after everything that had happened. Athena had been injured badly, he had been seen walking away with a few Specters, he'd probably thought the same thing too if he was in their shoes. Him betray Athena? Never. But even she hadn't seemed to know what else to think. The truth of the matter was though that he'd given everything for them.

After the battle that had badly injured Athena, Hades' plan had been stopped but he had not. In order to keep Hades from destroying all of his friends, the Andromeda Saint had offered the god of the Underworld...well himself.

If torturing and humiliating him until he died would keep Hades and his army away from the Sanctuary and from destroying everything then he was willing to do that. That had been nearly two hundred years ago, and he had yet to die. Apparently Hades had enjoyed torturing him more than he had thought. With the Holy War now approaching again though, he had no need for Shun. He was little more than a nuisance taking up space.

The chains had clanked because he had fallen to his knees, twisting his arms which were chained by his wrists to the wall behind him in an uncomfortable position. He hardly cared though. He was spent, but he still couldn't force himself to look down at the wound that was on his chest. It was a painful one, but he remained silent as always.

He didn't even remember if he knew how to use his voice. He had suffered in silence for a long time. Now however as the Specter walked silently away from the mortally wounded boy, chuckling to himself, he didn't even bat an eye. Funny, he'd used to be terrified of seeing blood. He supposed he'd seen a lot of it.

He was still a very beautiful young man. He had pale skin and green hair. It had once been long but now it was cut unevenly and ragged. It still managed to frame his face, which all the innocence of had long since left. His eyes were the same shade of green as his hair, if only just a little lighter. His eyes which had once been so bright and full of life were dead and staring, growing glassier every second that passed.

A huge hole had been ripped into his chest and he found it increasingly harder to both breathe and see. Blood trickled slightly from the side of his mouth, and still he remained silent. Pain was something he was used to now. He would endure it until he didn't breathe again. He found that grimly amusing as well. Dying used to scare him. Now it would be a sweet release. He'd just reincarnate again.

The room began to spin, so he closed his eyes to keep from heaving. There wasn't really a point in doing that anyway. It's not like he'd eaten today. He couldn't keep from doing so however and soon blood had splattered the floor in front of him, the front of his chest and face. Once his fit subsided he just closed his eyes and remained hanging there limply. He looked dead already, but the pain reminded him that he wasn't. He could feel, overhead, the cosmos of Andromeda weeping for him. He'd endured so much, and it had been unable to help, watching him suffering ever silently.

Other cosmoses felt the disturbance, the sheer grief that accompanied the cosmos as it watched its Saint die. The cloths and the cosmoses of Saints were alive after all. Though the cloth had long been removed to the Sanctuary he knew that both his Cloth and his cosmos knew the silent truth of the fate of the Andromeda Saint. No doubt, both Athena and the other Saints had wondered why he hadn't reincarnated yet, which had probably made them think even more that he had betrayed them.

He felt another presence brush up against his distant cosmos, and a gentle voice spoke to him. It held anger, but it suddenly comforted him more than he'd thought possible. He could feel her, Athena. She was calling to him, demanding to know the truth. But he couldn't reach his cosmos here, and her words were lost on him. He wished he could hear her voice once more, but he could only sense the emotion behind her words through his cosmos. He suddenly felt utterly alone. Silence was the only thing that greeted him, the unnerving sound of his blood dripping slowly to the floor. A single tear fell down his cheek, only increasing the uncontrollable grief of the Andromeda Cosmos.

Athena thought she was being ignored, and as she grew angrier, the Andromeda's cosmos grew more and more pained. He could feel it like a physical blow through his chest. The sheer grief of the Andromeda Cosmos, the raw pain, ripped through the other cosmos. They could feel it. He wished they couldn't. He didn't want to feel what would happen next. Athena grew confused, and her voice grew softer, gentler. She called to him quietly but he couldn't answer.

Dread filled her as she felt nothing but the raw pain of the cosmos. She'd never met anything like it. What could cause such unbearable pain? She didn't realize the Cosmos had seen their hatred of her Saint, and watched him suffer silently for their sakes in silence. She didn't know that he was dying, and the cosmos that had watched this boy grow and live so many times was unable to bear watching him finally break.

The Andromeda Saint could take no more. His head hung down to his chest as blissful unconsciousness finally took control. He wouldn't open his eyes again. Within moments, that great big heart of his had finally slowed and then stopped, unable to keep up with the blood he had lost. His breathing slowed and then petered out. His lips were left slightly open as if to catch the air that had finally ceased entering his lungs. He had died.

If his cosmos had been in pain before, it was in absolute agony now. The cosmos had a voice that could be sensed rather than heard usually, something that was spoken but not spoken. But all the Saints suddenly heard a voice they couldn't name, crying out in anguish and sheer agony. The heard the kind of sobbing that came from someone who had lost everything, a loud scream of someone who couldn't accept and never would. Though they started and looked for the voice they could find nothing. It didn't take them long however to realize what it was. The Andromeda cosmos was crying.

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Athena's scepter had slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground. Her long purple hair swayed slightly in the breeze as she looked over the bright Sanctuary, but her blue eyes were clouded with confusion. She hadn't felt the Andromeda Saint's mind. She had felt nothing of his presence. Her growing anger had only served to make his cosmos more and more distressed, even her confusion and her gentler voice had done so. What had the cosmos seen? What had made it, a battle hardened but gentle cosmos, cry so much?

Only dread filled her as she retreated from the grieving cosmos. What could do that? She knew very well what it could have been, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Andromeda had betrayed her, hadn't he? That's what had been said, but the silent voice of the cosmos was now in so much agony that it had been heard by all of the Saints, not just sensed but heard! She suddenly felt ashamed at herself. The Andromeda Saint had always been so gentle, why would be betray them?

The anguish of the cosmos finally drove it home for her. A cosmos did not mourn its Saint because of death. They reincarnated after all. What would drive it to such agony? Watching its Saint suffer needlessly, silently. Athena sank slowly to her knees and brought her hand to her mouth as she felt bile threatening to rise. Tears began to roll down her face. She suddenly felt the same agony as the Saint's cosmos, only she could only feel numb. She knew that it was hammering through her, but she was too stunned by the realization to do anything. She looked up towards the sky, where his cosmos was pulsing in utter anguish.

"What have you done?" she whispered.

The sound of running feet could be heard but she couldn't bring herself to look up as two Gold Saints ran in. One was the Pisces Saint, with long bright blue hair and blue eyes, a rather beautiful young man. The other was the Virgo Saint, with long blonde hair and blue eyes, though they often remained closed. Both paused when they saw her silently crying and quickly knelt beside her, confused as to what was going on. They touched her shoulders, making her look slowly at them. They could plainly see the agony in her eyes.

"What's going on?" the usually calm Virgo Saint asked.

"Andromeda is dead," she said with such evident pain that it confused them.

"Lady Athena?" they asked.

"His cosmos," she said. "I couldn't sense him when I touched it, and it just kept getting sadder. Then it started crying and," she forced herself to swallow past the lump in her throat. "Andromeda never betrayed us. I'm sure of it now."

"But how?" Pisces asked. "We were told..."

"I know what we were told," she cried in agony. "I know...but I can't believe it anymore. In fact I'm ashamed to have thought it was true. He was such a sweet boy...why would he betray or hurt anyone?"

"Then what's wrong?" Pisces asked quietly. She looked at him sadly.

"The Andromeda Cosmos is crying,"

The two Gold Saints paused uncertainly, trying to process the sentence she'd given them. They could hear that it was crying. But what would move her to such tears? They knew she loved her Saints, and the thought of the Andromeda Saint's death had caused her tremendous pain. But why would that be the case then? If he had betrayed them then his cosmos would have abandoned him and found another Saint to reincarnate as him instead, which had happened before. But if the Cosmos was crying then...

The sheer weight of realization settled onto their shoulders firmly and they couldn't help but feel sick. They looked at their young and beautiful goddess, who was still crying firmly. They'd all thought he had been evil, that he had betrayed them. The realization that he hadn't was worse than thinking he had betrayed them. Now that they thought about it, why would he ever want to hurt anyone. He was always putting others before himself.

"His cosmos hadn't abandoned him," Pisces gasped. "He hadn't betrayed us!"

"But then why hadn't he reincarnated?" Virgo asked. "Unless..."

"Unless he hadn't died," Athena finished. "I think I understand the pain of his cosmos now."

"He had gone with the Specters," Virgo said quietly. "Not to betray us, but most likely to protect us. I think we all know what that means."

They were silent, and none of them spoke. They did indeed. The sheer agony of his cosmos spoke the magnitude of the truth they had just realized. It had watched him suffer for nearly two hundred years. The entire span between two Holy Wars. And he had finally died. The two Gold Saints found themselves bristling and snarling.

Few armies understood the love and protectiveness that Saints felt towards each other, more than just camaraderie. They had been friends for a long time, many years. They knew each other well and by sight alone if not name. They were ashamed now to think they had doubted him, and bitterly angry at themselves for allowing him to be tortured for so long. Hades was not a patient god, and certainly not with Saints.

The thought of that gentle and smiling boy being submitted to gods knew what tortures was more than they could bear. The two Saints felt themselves furious as well against Hades and his army. Perhaps the Holy War wouldn't happen until their next reincarnation but they wanted to make the Specters pay. In fact, they vowed to.

"Find him," Athena begged. "We must find him! We can't let him get hurt again. I don't care how long it takes. Find him and bring him to the Sanctuary!"

"Of course," Pisces promised gently.

Athena continued to cry quietly as the Cosmos of the recently deceased Saint continued to cry out loudly in anguish. The two Gold Saints stood and looked at each other. They were deeply angry but also deeply hurt. The poor Saint thought that they hated him now, but that couldn't be farther from the case. How could they hate someone like that? He'd lived up to his name now, the Saint who represented the legendary woman who would sacrifice herself to save others. He'd done the same thing, and it was too late for them to make their amends now.

Pisces especially made a silent vow to find the young Saint and bring him back safely. They owed that to him at least. His fist clinched a little at his side as his brow furrowed uncharacteristically. There was no way he was letting that boy get hurt again.

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 **That was the prologue. Not entirely sure how that came out, but I hope you enjoy this story so far and feel free to leave a review below.**


	2. Chapter One: Andromeda's Smile

**Here we go with the first actual chapter of this story, which goes several years later to when the Andromeda Saint (named Shun, who would have guessed) is saying goodbye to his brother. His true identity hasn't been guessed yet (as Saints reincarnate and have memories as Saints) since he's so young.**

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 **However something odd's about to happen that will involve him much deeper into the storyline of this AU.**

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 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

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Chapter One: Andromeda's Smile

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Shun had always been a crybaby. It wasn't really something he could help, it had almost been bred into him at a young age. In a sense it probably was. He couldn't help it though, he never wanted to be separated from his older brother Ikki. Ikki was going off to be trained as a Saint and Shun was worried he'd never see him again. After the death of their mother Ikki had looked after Shun from a very young age and Ikki was always there to protect Shun if he needed it. Watching him leave, along with all the others, was more than he could bear.

Ikki had left already and the boat was now gone. There were only a few of the young boys left who had been selected to go off and train to become Saints. In fact, there were very few left at all. Shun was the only one who hadn't been sent off to train, not even to become a Sonata Saint which was little more than a person who copied the cosmos of a true Saint. Shun was too weak and small, and he cried to much. That's why he wasn't going anywhere. He was going right back to the orphanage to get adopted. And when the knowledge that he'd probably never see his brother again had sunk in completely he had broken into tears.

Three of his friends were standing beside him. He was around seven and they were all about eight. Shun had been the youngest of all of them, the most easily frightened, the one that cried the most. The young shoulder length blonde haired Saint named Hyoga laid his hand on the boy's shoulder, watching with sad blue eyes as he continued to cry. Hyoga was half Japanese and half Russian while the others were all full blooded Japanese. To Hyoga's right was Shiryu, a young man with long black hair and blue eyes. Lastly was Seiya who looked unsure how to handle the situation, with brown hair and brown eyes. He just watched Shun and glanced back at the other boys who were shaking their head as usual at Shun.

"Shun don't cry," Hyoga said. "It'll be alright. I know that Ikki will get that Cloth and come back for you. Just stay strong until then."

"Hyoga's right," Shiryu said as comfortingly as he could. "At least now you don't have to go risk your life fighting for some Cloth. You'll be safe, and I know that's made Ikki much happier knowing that you'll be alright."

This did little to comfort Shun however. Seiya frowned. He really couldn't stand to see him crying. He was such a gentle boy. He had pale skin, and he was almost like a girl. His face just held such incredible innocence, it was strange and yet charming. He was able to smile and brighten any room, but he tended to cry a lot. The boy had shoulder length green hair, feathered lightly and framing his face nicely. His eyes were a similar, if not almost exactly the same color as his hair. Seiya let out a sigh, crossing his arms.

"Shun don't cry," he said. "You'll see us again one day. And besides, you'll do better in a real home. We're all kind of jealous, we wanted to be adopted too. So chin up okay."

Shun looked up at him and sniffled a little. He was sad, but they all gave him sad smiles. He knew they were right. They'd wanted to all be adopted into families, and they were glad for Shun that he was getting to be adopted. He was always such a happy and gentle boy. He knew that they were right, and that they were happy for him. Besides, he knew he'd never been one for fighting. They'd all promised that they'd come see him again, so he didn't have to be lonely. He quickly wiped the tears away and gave them a smile.

"Alright," he said. "Be careful guys, and come back one day okay? I'll be waiting." They all smiled, glad to see Shun's gentle smile had returned.

"You got it," Hyoga replied.

"It's a promise then," Shiryu replied.

"You just take care of yourself," Seiya said with that big goofy grin of his. "Don't worry about us. We'll do fine."

"I will," Shun replied.

"Shun," someone called. Shun turned to look and saw Tatsumi, a tall man that was bald and had severe eyes. "Come with me. The others will be going to their training grounds, but you're going back to the Orphanage. Come on."

Shun turned back and began walking towards Tatsumi silently. Tatsumi was known for being rather cruel to the children so he wasn't really loved by any of them. Shun wasn't really looking forward to going back with him, but Tastumi seemed inclined to ignore him. He opened the door of a big black car and motioned for Shun to get inside. Shun silently did as he was told and buckled himself into the car as Tatsumi got into the driver's seat. Shun glanced out at his friends, who waved at him and gave him a thumbs up in encouragement.

"We're going back to the mansion first," Tatsumi growled. "Master Kido would like to speak to you before you leave, so be on your best behavior."

"Yes sir," Shun said quietly. Tatsumi glanced back at the boy as he began to drive away, and he sighed and gave the boy a small smile.

"You always were a good boy weren't you?" he asked quietly in a much gentler voice. "Well I suppose it's for the best. You probably are far too gentle to be training to be a Saint. I suppose this will really be the last time I see you. Be a good boy alright?"

"I will," Shun replied, giving him a smile into the mirror that the man could see. "I'm going to be strong until everyone comes back. Just you wait!"

"You always have been so gentle," Tatsumi said, his eyes softening to him just a little. "Well we'll be there soon."

Shun just nodded and looked out the back window towards his friends who were still standing on the peer and waiting to leave on their own expeditions to train to become Saints. He knew that the odds were stacked against them, but he felt sure that they would not only do well and survive, but all come back as Saints. He had faith in them, so he had to be strong for them. He looked forward again and sat quietly in the car as they silently made their way back to the mansion that had been all of their homes for a few years. This would be the last time he was going to see it, but he refused to cry. He wanted to be strong for them. He just waited quietly in the car as the scenery began to change.

They soon left the docks behind and they began to go into the residential district and the houses began to become more and more richly decorated and manicured. Shun hadn't really ever been comfortable in a place like this. He'd been practically raised in the orphanage and on the streets by his older brother. However he was sort of used to it by now. He sat quietly in the car as he watched the streets change until finally they became the front drive of the always familiar Manor they had been raised in for a while.

They car pulled to a stop and Shun quickly unbuckled and got out of the car, knowing that that's what he was supposed to do. He quickly got out of the car as Tatsumi stood and left the car, taking Shun's arm much less roughly than he had before and escorting the boy inside. Just inside the mansion there were several servants who quickly bowed and left the room. An old man with a long gray beard and hair and dark brown eyes was looking at Shun closely. A girl just older than Shun stood to his side, watching Shun carefully. She had chin length purple hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to stare into Shun's very soul. She was around eight. Shun quickly looked away.

None of these people had been particularly kind to him, and he wasn't really that fond of any of them. Soari especially, who had always treated them like little more than things to amuse her. She had everything while they had nothing, and many of the others had always hated her for it. Shun couldn't hate anyone, but he certainly didn't like her. She'd been nothing but cruel to him and he knew it was better to stay as far away as possible. He looked instead at her grandfather, knowing that he was expected to.

As Saori watched the boy, a look of confusion passed over her face. Her grandfather had told her to be kind to these boys and make friends with them, and had explained that she had so much more than them. But she wasn't sure what making friends with them was going to do. She had always been allowed to do as she pleased by the servants, and that included the things she had done to these people. Yet even though all the other boys had glared at her and even called her names (which of course had hurt) Shun didn't say any of that. He hardly looked to see her there. Was he afraid of her? Somehow that thought hurt far worse than anything that had ever been said.

"Shun," her grandfather said. "you were not chosen to go train to become a Saint. But do not despair. You will have a chance again at a normal life, which all boys your age should get the chance to do. I'm sorry to have put you through all of this for nothing, but now perhaps you will get the childhood that your brother prayed you would have."

Shun only nodded, knowing that staying completely silent and not responding could be pretty bad. Tatsumi had a habit of being a bit of a slave driver, though he was well respected in the Kido Family. He had seemed to be much gentler with Shun than he had been in a long time, but Shun wasn't one to risk the chance. He'd rather not take that. Mr. Kido looked down suddenly and folded his arms, nodding quietly to himself.

"That being said," he said. "I have come to a decision. If you would agree, I'd like you to live here as Saori's brother. She too was adopted, and I think that having a younger brother would do her some good. So Shun, what do you say to becoming my grandson and taking the name Kido?"

Shun's jaw dropped and he could only stare for a while. Him? Become a member of the Kido family? He wasn't the only one who was surprised. Tatsumi looked like he was about to faint at the idea of having another young child under the roof. Saori had known that she was adopted, but she was unsure why her grandfather would want another child now. He already had her! A spark of jealousy came suddenly to her eye as she turned again to look at Shun. Why of all of them had he picked this boy? Who was scared of his own shadow.

Shun didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to say? Stay here? With Saori? He'd never even thought of the fact that Mr. Kido would want to adopt another child, let alone him of all people! He glanced at Saori and quickly away again when she saw the dark look she was giving him. He quickly looked back at Mr. Kido, then down at the floor.

"I," he said timidly. "I don't know what to say. Why me?"

"Because you are a gentle soul Shun," Mr. Kido replied. "And right now that's what Saori needs most of all. She is far too warlike for her own good, and she needs to be more gentle or she will never reach the destiny she was meant to have."

At this both Shun and Saori looked up at Mr. Kido with confusion in their eyes. Destiny? What could that be? As far as both of them could see she was little more than a girl who had been given everything she could ever want. There wasn't much else to her life. But he seemed serious about the whole thing. They two gave him a perplexed look, but he simply looked at Shun for the boy's answer. Finally Shun looked down.

"I think I would like that," he said quietly. "Or at least, Ikki would. He'd want me to have the best life possible." Mr. Kido nodded.

"And so you will boy," he replied. "So you will. Tatsumi, come. We have much to discuss. Please get alone children."

With that Tatsumi hurried off to follow his master as Mr. Kido left the room. Shun was stunned. Had he just accepted? Was he now Shun Kido? The thought was certainly an odd one, and he looked up at Saori as she drew closer. The dark look was still in her eye, but as she met Shun's scared gaze she found it quickly fading. She sighed and held out his hand to the boy, who jumped a little as he looked at it.

"Come on," she said. "You don't have to be so afraid. We're going to be siblings now, but I'm not going to run in to protect you all the time like Ikki did. I'm not like your real brother, got it?"

Shun looked away and didn't take her hand, but nodded quietly. The girl gave the younger boy a glare and quickly stomped out of the room, feeling that she'd had just about enough of him. Shun was left alone in the front foyer, confused and lonely. What had he gotten himself into? He realized that Saori didn't and probably never would like him, but he suddenly wished that he was on some life threatening mission to get a Cloth. That would be much better than sitting here in the awful silence of the huge manor estate.

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 **Shun getting adopted by Mr. Kido was planned into this story for later purposes involving the whole Arles arch of the main story. That part of the story is definitely going to stay in, though I doubt I'll focus on the Mariners or the Norse God Warriors because this story is an AU of the Hades Saga. Though Arles will set up for the whole Hades Saga, the rest before the Hades Saga will most likely be omitted because this story is about the fight against Hades.**

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 **The Bronze Saints will grow more powerful because of the fighting in the Sanctuary, but once they regain their Saint Memories and Alres is out of the way they'll be able to move on to the Holy War which is drawing close to starting. Also, Shun won't become Hades in this AU. That's going to be an OC.**


	3. Chapter Two: Andromeda's Legacy

**This has a time skip in this chapter, but the first couple of chapters are going to have time skips until we get to the point where Shun is a Saint and the story really starts. Until then we'll just have bits and pieces of the story. I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far.**

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 **This chapter will have Shun on his way to becoming a Saint, and meeting a somewhat familiar face that will drag him off to be the Saint that he was meant to be. That should be fun.**

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 **Feel free to leave a review below.**

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 **Thanks to Yuzuru Lazur for being the first to review and favorite this story as well as follow it. Also thanks to Mariko Midori and GreyWitch13 for following! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

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Chapter Two: Andromeda's Legacy

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Shun couldn't help but wince a little as there came a loud crash and Saori toppled over to the floor. She had always been the more adventurous of the two, and she had been the one (as usual) to explain the rules of the game. Shun had been reluctant to agree, since he knew someone would probably get hurt. As it was the little races Saori and he had been having in the hallway had come to a screeching halt when the bucket had slipped out from under her foot and she had gone crashing into the wall. He walked over and looked down at her.

Saori had asked him to race her, and they had taken turns putting their feet into the maid's cleaning buckets to slide down the newly waxed floors of the hallway. As Shun came over though a mischievous glint appeared in Saori's eyes and she tugged him down onto the slippery floor with her. The boy gave out a yelp as he went tumbling down on top of her, but Saori only broke into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. Unable to be mad at her, Shun started laughing too.

It had been about a year, and Shun was now eight while she was nine. Though living without his brother and friends had been hard, he'd learned to live here happily and was now best friends with Saori. She really was like an older sister to him, and he was like a little brother to her. Though Shun wasn't as outgoing as she was, they were always getting into trouble together. Once their giggling had stopped they slowly managed to disentangle their limbs and stand up.

"I guess that ends the races," Saori sighed. "Tatsumi would throw a fit if he saw us like this. He worries far too much."

"I told you that someone was going to fall," Shun said.

"Yeah maybe," Saori laughed. "But I didn't get hurt did I?"

"I guess not but-"

"No buts," she said, holding up her hand to stop him. "Come on let's get out of here before someone comes to see what the noise was."

With that Saori grabbed her little brother's wrist and took off running, careful to make sure that he wouldn't fall behind. He let out a little squeak of protest as she continued to run but didn't try to pull his arm away. She dodged the servants down hallways that she obviously knew well, and she knew the best places to hide until finally she dragged Shun into her room and shut the door. She plopped down on the bed and Shun sighed, looking at her with those big innocent eyes of his.

"Nee-san," he cried. "Why did you run? We'll get in more trouble if we avoid what we did!"

"Not if you don't blab about it," Saori said with a grin. "They'll think we were in here playing. We won't get in trouble. They'll have to blame someone else."

"But then they'll get in trouble," Shun said sadly. "I don't want anyone else to get in trouble because of us!"

Saori paused as she looked at Shun's rather innocent eyes. He was pleading with her silently now to go tell people what they had done. He was always thinking of others before himself, and though he could be a little timid he was kind. That's what had eventually made her love him like he really was her brother, and she knew why Ikki wanted to take such good care of him. How were you supposed to ignore those cute eyes of his? It was impossible! She let out a sigh as she looked at him.

"You're really that worried about it?" she asked. He nodded. "Alright fine. I don't want to be in trouble, but if you're worried about it I guess we have no choice." Shun gave a huge smile and ran to Saori, hugging her.

"Thank you Nee-san," he cried.

"Alright alright," she said with a small frown. "Let's go. If we're going to do it we might as well do it now."

Saori turned and marched on her heel right out of the door, steaming a little bit. Shun chased to catch up to her and quickly took her hand in his, holding onto it like he often did with Ikki when he wanted his support when he had been younger. Saori couldn't help but hold his hand back and give it a little squeeze as if to comfort him. They both hated to get into trouble, and it often had some boring punishments like helping to clean or not being able to watch television which seemed far too harsh to the children. However Shun was happier knowing that no one was going to get fired because of what they had done.

The two made their way back towards the area they had just come from, and they found that the servants had already left the halls. Evidently Tatsumi was as quick as ever with his rounds and had already found the buckets where they had been left when the children had fled the scene. Tatsumi was already yelling at the maid whose job it had been to wax the floor and make it shine. The two children paused and gathered themselves.

"This is unacceptable," Tatsumi cried loudly. "I'll have you fired for this! We are supposed to keep this house looking spotless!"

"I-I didn't do it sir," the tiny maid cried. "Please believe me!"

"And if you did it then who did?"Tatsumi demanded.

"We did,"

The servants of the household all froze and turned to look at the two children who were standing there. Shun had ducked shyly behind Saori, who had folded her arms and was glaring at Tatsumi in a challenging manner. The butler could only blink at the two. However even Shun, nervous though he looked, didn't contradict his sister's statement. They waited, watching Tatsumi and waiting for what he was going to say. At last he seemed to shake out of his surprise and sighed, shaking his head.

"And what were you doing?" he asked.

"Playing," was Saori's only response. If they found out they could have been hurt it would have been much worse. Tatsumi massaged his temples with a sigh.

"What am I going to do with you two?" he asked. "Alright fine. I won't fire you, seeing how it wasn't your fault. But Mister and Miss Kido, you're going to have to help her fix it."

The two children let out sighs as they looked at the mess they'd made earlier. The buckets had pulled up a lot of the wax since it hadn't completely dried and it had made long and darker furrows on the ground where the wax had been pulled up. The rest of the floor shined brightly, but it was very obvious where the damage had been done. Shun was just glad though that Saori hadn't gotten hurt during the whole thing. Explaining that would have been much harder, and the maid probably would have been fired anyway because of the incident. Yes, they'd have to do some of the work, but at least the lady wasn't going to be out of a job.

Tatsumi sighed and everyone quietly dispersed to go about their business about the mansion. The maid quickly ran off to grab the necessary items to redo the floor. That left Shun and Saori alone in the hallway with Tatsumi. He looked up at the two with very disappointed eyes. Shun looked down at the floor, but Saori just squeezed Shun's hand and gave Tatsumi a challenging look. Upon seeing it, the butler smiled but shook his head.

"Perhaps Master Kido was right," he said. "Adopting Shun has definitely made you a gentler person, but sometimes I think you are a bad influence on him. Even when Ikki was around he wasn't this hard to handle."

Saori and Shun stood there quietly as they looked at him, unsure what he meant. They were just children, and much of the things the adults said were ignored because they had no idea what they were really talking about. Most children their age did the same thing, because well, these children had been allowed to grow up as a child should. Tatsumi suddenly found himself thinking of the young boys they had sent off to train to become Saints. They would never have a childhood, and they would grow up faster than they should. Even he had to admit, as good as he was at following his Master's orders, that it left a bad taste in his mouth. He doubted even a gentle person like Shun would have the ability to stay so gentle and innocent after something like that. He shook his head to clear it, returning his mind to the task at hand and frowning at the two children.

"You two always manage to cause trouble," he began to continue.

"No," an unfamiliar voice suddenly said. "You and your orphans are what are causing the problem."

Tatsumi jumped at the stranger's sudden appearance and quickly positioned himself between the man and the two children. Shun jumped and Saori paused in confusion at the man's appearance and pushed Shun behind her like she was going to protect him. They peered up at the stranger. He was wearing Gold Armor that shone brightly in the light and had a white cape on the back of it. His helmet had what appeared to be fins coming off of it, and a spine on the top as well like a fish. A rose was being twirled absently between his fingers. He was a beautiful man and looked almost like a woman. His hair was a long pastel blue color and his eyes were a dark blue.

"W-Who are you?" Tatsumi growled. "That armor...a Cloth?!"

"The fact that you can name it troubles me," the man sighed. "I was sent here to give you first a warning. Withdraw those you have sent to train for Cloths immediately. The Holy Pope Arles of the Sanctuary is not a patient man, and if any of those boys become Saints he will not be happy." Tatsumi growled and bristled.

"I only do what Master Kido asks," he growled. "I don't recognize this Pope of yours!"

The man's eyes flashed a little as he looked at the man. Tatsumi had been trained in fighting and was obviously bigger than this thin man. However, the man was the Pisces Saint of Athena. Until Athena appeared the Pope was in charge in the Sanctuary. Even he had to admit that the Pope had been strangely cruel here lately, and he had no idea why. However it still remained that Arles was the Pope and he demanded respect.

The Pisces Saint stepped forward and grabbed Tatsumi by the shoulder. In one swift motion and with hardly moving he tossed the man aside and the butler went crashing into the wall. Saori couldn't help but give a startled scream and Shun took a step back nervously. The Gold Saint paused and turned to look towards the noise, and he froze at what he saw. For some reason the girl reminded him of someone, but he couldn't really think of why. It was the boy behind her however that quickly caught his attention.

He was a small boy, very pretty. He almost looked like a girl. His green eyes were wide and full of an innocence that few people possessed. He had green hair that was feathered lightly and framed his face nicely, about shoulder length and making him look even more like a girl. He was by far one of the most beautiful people even this strangely beautiful Saint had ever seen, and he knew him by sight alone. One glance at him told the Gold Saint that he was the reborn Andromeda Saint. Remembering his promise to Athena in the past, his eyes softened slightly as he turned to look at the boy.

"Boy," he said. "I don't have time to explain. But you will be coming with me."

"What?" Shun gasped in utter confusion. Upon hearing this, Tatsumi recovered from his surprise and leaped towards the Saint again to protect his charges.

"Stay away from them," he cried in rage.

Pisces lightly side stepped him and threw him back into the floor without so much as batting an eye or turning his gaze away from Shun. Shun froze as he looked at the man, shaking a little bit. But somehow he felt like he knew this man. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he was sure that he knew him. Tatsumi stiffly forced himself off the ground as Saori planted herself firmly in front of Shun, giving the man a challenging glare. That glare made the Pisces Saint pause. Again, he was sure that he knew her, but he couldn't place where.

Some of the other servants began to appear to find out what the noise was, and they were utterly confused at the scene that they had just seen. They were unsure of the man and his strange attire but they were sure that something was going on. Besides, his eyes were fixed firmly on the children, and they weren't going to allow him to hurt them. Many of them went rushing towards the Saint, who only sighed and pulled a black rose out from behind his back, though where he had kept it neither of the children could tell. He held it up then threw it just to the right of the mob, burning his Cosmos and calling out an attack as he did so.

"Piranhan Rose," he cried.

Though the attack had been aimed to miss the group it collided with the wall behind them, filling it with holes and destroying anything that was in the path of the multiple roses that smashed into them. The servants all gasped and quickly ran to escape the attacks of the Saints. Tatsumi quickly backed away, obviously trying to wrack his brain for any idea on how to beat the stranger. He wasn't just going to give up and let him take Shun.

Saori felt her knees give out beneath her in fright. She sat there on the ground, staring up at the stranger with terror. She had no idea who this person was or what he was doing here. She just felt utterly scared and powerless. Shun paused as he looked at his older sister, surprised at seeing her so scared. She was never scared of anything. She had always been the one to protect him. Tatsumi struggled to rise, snarling at the man.

"I won't let you touch them," he growled.

The man's eyes flashed with annoyance as he turned to look at Tatsumi. He pulled out another Black Rose, planning on making the man think twice about challenging him again. But then he paused as he heard the sound of tiny little feet running. Shun ran out in front of Tatsumi and gave the man a clear and determined gaze. Pisces paused as he looked down at the boy, surprised to see the look on his face. Shun didn't look away.

"If I go with you," he asked quietly. "Will you stop attacking people? You'll leave them alone?"

"Mister Kido you can't be seriously-" Tatsumi began, Shun stopped him by holding up a hand.

"Answer me," Shun told the man.

The Gold Saint couldn't help but blink a little in confusion. A few moments ago the boy had been too terrified to move. However now here he was standing in front of him if it meant that he'd be able to save the others. Suddenly the man's eyes softened sadly as he looked at him. Why was he surprised? The Andromeda Saint had always been one to protect everyone else, no matter what it meant for him. They had found that out the hard way. The boy was far too young to even have much, if any, of his memories as a Saint. However he knew that this boy had to come with him. Silently the Pisces Saint lowered his hand and turned his head away from the man. Shun paused a moment, watching the man a while.

"If you won't hurt them," Shun said. "Then I'll go with you. But you have to leave them alone."

"You have my word," the man replied.

"Shun no," Saori said quietly.

She was terrified for her younger brother. What on earth was going on? Why was he doing this? She didn't know this man though she felt like she might, and she had seen what his power. She was scared to let Shun go anywhere near him. However Shun just smiled at her, a bright and cheery smile and a gentle one. Somehow that made her heart only ache more. The Pisces Saint silently turned to walk away again the way he had come, giving Shun a silent but meaningful look. The boy silently followed him away.

Shun didn't say anything as he walked, unsure what he was supposed to do with this strange change of fate that he had suddenly had. Was any of his life going to be normal. The man laid his hand on the boy's shoulder gently but firmly, guiding him beside him out of the house and off towards the long road that they had ahead of them.

Shun glanced up at the man, who was staring straight ahead with the trained precision of a warrior. Shun wasn't sure what to say, but he wanted to say something. The boy quickly noticed that the man's eyes seemed strangely sad. Shun looked down for a moment, trying to think of something, anything. However it was only questions that came to his mind, and before he could stop himself, he asked one of them.

"Why do I have to go with you?" the boy asked. Pisces glanced towards him.

"Because it's your destiny," the Gold Saint replied. "I'm going to train you to be one of Athena's Saints."

"Huh?" Shun asked in confusion. "But they said I was too gentle and small." Pisces frowned a little. So he was one of the orphans this household had been trying to train as a Saint? He wasn't sure he liked it, but he couldn't ignore the facts in front of his face.

"Because you are so gentle," he couldn't help but reply. "Is why I must train you. And this time, you'll be more powerful than ever. I'll make sure of it."

Shun could only stare at the man, completely unsure what he meant as to "this time". He'd never really trained as a Saint, and he'd failed every test he'd ever been put through. Pisces however knew that this boy was in fact the Andromeda Saint. The only way he could make sure to help protect the boy now as Athena had asked was to make sure he more powerful than ever before.

The other Saints looked down on him for his "love" of power in this reincarnation, but after everything that had happened, the Gold Saint was glad he it was so. At least now he had the tools he needed to make sure Andromeda wouldn't get hurt again. Even if he was a gentle Saint, if he was stronger there would be less to worry about with him.

Shun couldn't help but be sad and slowly look at the ground. What about Saori? He'd done this to protect her, and everyone else in the manor. But would he ever see her again? He couldn't help but be sad, and a few tears spilled down his cheeks. Pisces paused as he looked down and saw the boy crying, and he couldn't help but sigh a little. Truly the Andromeda Saint was still such a gentle and pure creature.

"Will I ever see my sister again?" Shun asked.

"No," Pisces replied. "At least it's nearly impossible." Shun looked down. "However, it is true that you will become a Saint. You'll be powerful and that will be your blessing. You will protect peace, and that means too that you'll protect her."

"I'll protect her?" Shun asked with wide eyes. "But everyone always seems to be protecting me."

"Then you must grow stronger,"

Pisces looked down at the boy who was looking down again at his shoes. He seemed so sad, but the idea of being able to protect others seemed to make him a little bit happier. The Gold Saint couldn't help but smile a little as he saw the smile. This was his Legacy, the drive to protect others even if he was too weak. A frown quickly replaced the smile. That's what had gotten him into trouble last time. Athena had been killed and he did what came naturally to him. That had saved them and the entire world. However it still saddened the Saint. When he regained his memories as a Saint, would the memory of gods knew what tortures weight heavily on him?

"What is your name?" the man asked, trying to distract himself from the thought.

"Shun," the boy said in surprise. He nodded.

"My name is Pisces Aphrodite," the man replied. "And from now on you'll call my 'Master'. I will be training you, so be prepared."

The boy said nothing, too confused to respond to him. Aphrodite couldn't really blame him, a lot of things had just happened to the poor boy. But he hoped that the Sanctuary would be a much safer place for the boy to train and grow stronger. He couldn't be entirely sure though, because Arles was growing far more violent and more outgoing. He wasn't even sure himself what was going on in the Sanctuary, but he couldn't let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

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 **That was chapter two. After this there will be one more time skip in the next chapter (mostly because I don't feel like writing five years worth of training so I'm skipping it until the story actually really starts). He is still going to call Saori "Nee-San" and Ikki "Nii-San".**

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 **Saori and Shun will still have a strong relationship as brother and sister. Ikki and Shun will make up eventually because we all know how Ikki really is in the beginning. Though because of Aphrodite's training Shun is extremely powerful.**

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 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed the story and will enjoy the next chapter, which will actually introduce Andromeda Shun. Please feel free to leave a review below!**


	4. Chapter Three: Andromeda's Chains

**This chapter is the last one with an enormous time skip, so this is the last time this will happen if this annoys you. Shun will be recognized as a Saint for the first time in this chapter, and he'll get to meet Arles for the first time, as well as run into someone else. It's basically Shun's premiere in the Sanctuary.**

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 **New Followers:**

 **Selitte, KaizerDragoon, Kyuuden, and darkacuario! Thanks for supporting this story and I hope it lives up to your expectations!**

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 **As for the request about the torture scenes... I'll put a poll on my account asking if people would read that. If you don't like those chapters you won't have to read because they'll have a warning at the top of the author's note. However if you'd like to read them go to my profile and answer the poll. I'll decide whether or not to add that in according to the results.**

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 **I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a review below!**

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 **NOTE:**

 **From here on out anything spoken in Japanese will be in italics. Greek is going to be in regular text (and English. If I don't specify though assume it's in Greek). These are the languages most spoken in this story.**

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Chapter Three: Andromeda's Chains

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Shun couldn't help but let out a small sigh as he made his way up the last of the stairs to the temple where Arles was waiting. Part of it was because he'd passed the edge of his Master's Demon Rose Garden. He was one of the few Saints who was able to pass through it without the protection of Pisces. He supposed that had probably come from five years of training right next to it.

His Master had taught him well, and he was a powerful young Bronze Saint. Even so, he was nervous to meet Arles. The man was known for being rather cruel and enjoyed ruling with an iron fist, and he wasn't too fond of any Saint that wasn't Greek. Even so, he knew that he needed to go meet the Pope, not only to get his Cloth, but because his Master was expected to present him to the man.

Many Saints had been very surprised when the Pisces Saint had taken the young boy under his wing to train him to become a Saint. For Aphrodite to decide to train any Saint seemed largely out of character, since most of them expected him to be obsessed with power apparently. Shun had to agree that this might very well be the case, but he was also much gentler than most people knew. Shun was one of the few people who'd ever seen that gentler side of his Master.

By extension the Sanctuary expected Shun to be powerful, even if he was just a Bronze Saint. Few Saints had ever seen Shun, and they weren't sure what they expected. They would probably be very surprised to see that he was still such a gentle and kind Saint, probably thinking that he'd be much more like his rather mysterious (and sometimes viewed as cruel) Master. This was the first time Shun would really leave the Pisces Temple and go below to be seen by any of the other Saints.

He took a deep breath to calm himself then took a step forward, going silently into the giant Temple that was where Arles would be waiting. A large red carpet ran silently all the way to the back of the Temple, where he could see his Master kneeling before a throne where a figure sat waiting. The figure was tall and had on a long white cape that covered his whole body, though a white robe would be underneath. His hand was laying on a staff. He wore a large helmet with with bat like ears on it, and he had large shoulder pads for armor on his shoulders with spikes coming off of them. A black mask hid his face, but Shun didn't falter.

He walked right over to the two of them, though he was careful to remain behind his Master. There was a clear hierarchy that Arles liked to keep in the Sanctuary, and Shun was a Bronze Saint while his Master was a Gold Saint. He knelt as well and bowed his head, waiting for Arles to make his move and speak. For a long time there was silence, and he knew the man's disapproving eyes were on him. He waited in silence as the man looked him over. Arles turned his eyes to Aphrodite now, and neither Saint moved under his gaze.

"This is the boy?" Arles asked.

"He is," Aphrodite replied. "Though he is not Greek, there is no doubt that he is the Andromeda Saint."

"You know how it pains me allow his kind here," he growled. "Foreigners. There are more Saints than ever that were not born in Greece. These Cloths are the property of Greece and the Sanctuary."

"True," Aphrodite said. "But we must accept those that the Cosmoses have chosen. They know their own Saints no matter where they may come from."

"I suppose," Arles growled. "Well boy? What do you say to that?"

"I think my power should speak more for me than any words I could say," Shun said with slight difficulty at the language. Arles didn't miss this, but paused and chuckled in some amusement.

"Hm," he said. "Truly your student then Pisces Aphrodite. Well then boy, what do you say to the way that I am running things here? Some of your peers are...dissatisfied."

"I have nothing to say," Shun replied. He wasn't too fond of Arles or the things he was having the Saints do. But he had been taught well by his Master. "The Sanctuary must follow the rule of the Pope until Athena appears. Since Athena is not here, you rule."

"Very good," Arles said.

The man stood then and moved towards Shun, standing in front of him and looking down at the boy. He was measuring him up, seeing what he was going to do. The boy was a well trained warrior of the Sanctuary. He didn't flinch or look around nervously as other Bronze Saints did. His focus was acute and he stared straight ahead without even letting his eyes so much as wander the three inches to look at the Pope's shoes. Arles watched the boy a moment more, then laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. Even then he didn't budge.

"Tell me boy," Arles said. "If I were to give you the order to kill someone, would you do it?" Shun's eyes narrowed slightly at this.

"I don't like to fight," the boy replied. "I would rather not fight at all. I might kill someone, but I wouldn't know until that moment came. However they would regret deciding to fight me."

"Hm," Arles said thoughtfully. "You are the Andromeda Saint then. You always have been rather, well gentle. However it seems that Aphrodite has taught you well indeed. You certainly seem much more willing to battle than before." He chuckled though and glanced at Aphrodite. "He seems to have neglected teaching you Greek though. I can hear it in your voice."

"He can understand what is being said," Aphrodite replied. "That is enough for now. He can't speak all of the words but he can learn."

Shun didn't look up or act confused at this. He had to admit that he didn't like the idea of killing anyone, but he just might if it came to it. He also understood, unlike most Bronze Saints his age, that he had knowledge that Saints reincarnated and had memories associated with their Cosmoses. Arles noted that he didn't seemed surprised by the knowledge at all, and slowly he began to think for a moment, looking at the boy.

"Hm," he finally said. "I approve of this young Saint, while the others I do not. How could I refuse one trained by one of my loyal Saints after all? I expect nothing but your loyalty boy, even if you are such a gentle Saint."

"Of course Lord Arles," Shun replied correctly. Arles nodded.

"Very well," he said. "However before I give you your cloth, I want you to agree to do something. I want to see your power for myself. There is another Bronze Saint who is causing my problems and challenging and defeating both Silver and Bronze Saints. His name is Phoenix Ikki. I want you to defeat him for me."

At this Arles saw the reaction in Shun. Shun was surprised at hearing the name, and he didn't want to fight his own brother. However if it was a request from Arles he knew that it was far better to be loyal to him than to try and fight him. He'd seen what happened when someone refused him. He closed his eyes and the man paused, looking at him closely.

"What is this reaction for?" Arles asked suspiciously.

"Ikki is my brother," Shun replied. Arles paused and chuckled more in amusement.

"In that case," he said. "I would like even more to see that battle. The battle between siblings are always the most interesting. However, I doubt he is the brother you remember. He only knows how to access his Cosmos with anger and hatred. With that being the case, would you ignore my offer and not fight him?"

Shun's eyes remained closed for a moment. Even if that was the case he really didn't want to fight his brother. He wished he could just talk to him and try and figure out what was going on. Maybe if he did so then he'd be able to help him. However if his brother was acting this way then Shun knew the only way he'd listen to him was if he managed to defeat him in battle. Besides, if Shun wanted to become a Saint in the Sanctuary and be able to protect all the people he cared about then he needed Arles' approval, and to stay on his good side. Apparently he was impressed with him so far, so there was only one thing left to do.

"I will fight him," Shun replied.

"Good boy," Arles said. "Very well, then I now officially name you as a Saint of Athena. Though you are a foreigner, you have proven to me that you will not betray me despite your impure blood. Come then boy, your name."

"Shun," he replied. Saints didn't call themselves by last names, though he was still technically Shun Kido.

"Very well," Arles said. "Then I know name you Andromeda Shun." Arles looked over his shoulder suddenly and called to an invisible person. "Bring the Cloth."

Someone moved to get the Cloth as Shun opened his eyes and continued to stare ahead. He couldn't make out the person as they moved just beyond what he could have seen even if he would have been looking at Arles. There was a loud thump and the person moved away without saying another word. Arles moved the Cloth so that it was in front of Shun. It was in a large silver box with leather straps on it, and the picture of a woman with chains on the front of it. He hardly glanced up at it, fighting to not let his curiosity get the best of him. Arles seemed to approve of this as well.

"Stand and put on your Cloth Andromeda Shun," Arles said.

Shun did as he was told, standing and looked down at the Cloth. There was no visible way of opening the box at all, but Shun knew what he needed to do. He reached his Cosmos out towards the Cloth, and he felt both reunite with what he could only describe as pure joy. The box suddenly sprung open and the four sides and the top folded out down to the same level as the bottom.

Within the box was a pink armor with what appeared to be a silver mask on the front. The armor appeared to be kneeling and praying, its face turned towards heaven. Silver chains hung around the gauntlets of this armor, with one diamond and one sphere shaped ends on the chain. This flew onto his body quickly, fitting itself perfectly to his form. He couldn't help but close his eyes a moment as his cosmos greeted him fondly and joyfully. He didn't know what he had done to deserve such a greeting, but he was glad to feel it anyway.

"Come," Arles said, reminding Shun of what he was about to do. "Let's go."

"Yes sir," Shun replied.

He turned to follow Arles as he made his way silently towards the large coliseum that stood in about the middle of the Sanctuary. It was generally forbidden for Saints to fight one another for private reasons, but even Shun had heard of the damage the Phoenix Saint had been doing. He supposed that if he wanted it to end, he'd have to put it to an end himself. He'd of course try to talk him out of fighting, but if that didn't work he'd have to face his older brother. Shun's Master was close behind and watching the boy carefully.

The path Arles was taking down into the Sanctuary was a far more secret one, and one that he knew well. Aphrodite was surprised. He hardly ever showed any Saint this path unless he really trusted him. Even Aphrodite could see that he was obsessed with his power and reign of the Sanctuary. He didn't really like it himself but put on the pretense that he did to avoid Arles' wrath. Still, for Arles to show Shun this path, did he trust him? Aphrodite felt his eyes narrow just slightly. He wasn't sure he could trust Shun around Arles, and he had a vow to keep.

Soon the long flight of stairs leveled out until they came to the last landing. There were several Saints that had always either feared Arles or loved him, but served him loyally either way. They paused in surprise to see the Bronze Saint and the Gold Saint walking quietly behind Arles. Arles said nothing to them and only moved to wave them away as he walked on, intent on reaching his destination. Shun followed closely behind, and soon the coliseum came into view.

It was a large theater like structure where Saints would sit to watch the battles that would take place (usually between two Trainees for a Cloth). However as they drew near they all paused and looked up as fire shot into the sky from the angry explosion of a Cosmos. Shun knew that it belonged to his brother, and again he felt apprehension at the thought that he had to fight him. Still, he and his Master both knew that it was far better to avoid angering the Holy Father of the Sanctuary. Arles began to walk again and Shun soon followed.

They entered the back of the coliseum, where two Sonata Saints were standing on guard. Arles waved them aside to let Shun through as he came close, and confused but interested they did as they were told. Arles motioned for Shun to follow him up the set of stairs, as Aphrodite did without even a second thought. They entered into a box where two more guards were standing, ready to defend the Pope with their lives. They stood at attention as Arles motioned for Shun to wait out of sight of the others as he walked forward and sat in the throne like structure made for him. Aphrodite stood by the Pope's side as Arles sat and looked up.

More fire erupted up into the sky and Shun could feel the sheer heat off of his angry cosmos. He stood as he had been instructed to do, silently and in the back ground. However as the battle concluded there was silence as every eye turned to look up at the Pope as he watched silently from where he was sitting. Suddenly every eye was on him, wondering why he had come all the way down here for something so unimportant.

"What are you doing here?" Ikki's deep voice growled.

"Why just watching some amusement," Arles replied, waving the indignant guards back. "You seem awfully bored as well Phoenix. I thought I might give you an opponent that might even give you a reason to pause."

"Oh," Ikki snarled. "And who would that be?"

Arles chuckled and shook his head, seeming to find the whole situation highly amusing. The other Saints paused in confusion and seemed unsure what he was doing. Aphrodite hardly paused, and Shun couldn't help but let out a soft sigh that no one else heard. Arles was one person he felt he'd hardly ever understand. Ikki no doubt began to bristle, if his next words were anything to go off of. He did not seem to find this amusing.

"What's so funny?" he growled.

"You amuse me," Arles replied. "So blindly full of rage and hate. Though it seems to have made you powerful, you are nothing but brute force. The champion I have chosen to defeat you for me is another Bronze Saint, though one with far more intelligence it would seem. If you can break his defense I would be surprised. And I've been promised by his Master Pisces that he is powerful. It should make for an interesting battle."

Some nervous murmuring began in the Saints that were gathered below, no doubt discussing what this could mean. Few of them had any idea what Aphrodite's elusive student could even look like, let alone what he would be like. Arles looked out over the crowd and motioned someone closer. They made their way over to the Pope. Shun glanced up and just spotted her from where he was. She was a silver Saint wearing the Aquila Cloth and had a simple silver face mask and brown hair. She paused as she glanced towards Shun then looked back at Arles.

"Marin," he said. "Be a dear and translate for me. I know that you know Japanese very well."

"Y-Yes sir," she replied. "But why if I may ask-?"

"Because my champion isn't Greek," Arles replied with another chuckle, getting yet another disbelieving murmuring from the crowd. "And it seems Aphrodite seemed to have neglected teaching him Greek. He understands us perfectly but has trouble speaking the language. Rather amusing actually I think. It makes it more interesting." He glanced back at Shun. "That means you're free to speak in Japanese. Everyone will hear you."

"Your champion is Greek?" Ikki hissed in a slight laugh. "I thought that you hated foreigners Arles."

"Oh I do," Arles replied. "However this Saint I have approved and given the Cloth to myself. How could I refuse the student of one of most loyal Saints after all?"

"And who is this champion of yours?" Ikki growled. Again Arles chuckled.

"Your younger brother Ikki," Arles said. There was more murmuring. "Hm, I can see some resemblance between you indeed, but you don't really look that alike. Interesting. I've always found the battles between siblings to be very entertaining."

"That's impossible," Ikki growled.

"Is it truly?" Arles chuckled. "If that's your opinion, then I should show you your opponent. Andromeda Shun." Arles motioned out towards Ikki in a very theatrical way then held up his other hand. He loudly snapped his fingers and there was silence.

Shun knew that the dreaded moment had come at last. He took a deep breath to calm himself as he simultaneously raised his arm and the diamond shaped chain shot out and wrapped around a pillar in front of him securely. Everyone looked up in surprise at the glinting metal as he pulled himself out after it and slid down to the battle field gracefully. He stopped and stood with his arms limply at the his sides as he turned to look at his older brother.

Ikki was tall and full of muscle, much taller than Shun was. However Shun was only thirteen and his brother was about fifteen now if he remembered correctly. He had much tanner skin than Shun did, and his hair was midnight blue and shorter than Shun's was. His eyes were about the same color as his hair, and there was a large scar running over the bridge of his nose. His armor was mostly a silver color with bluish gantlets and blue marks over the chest and its belt was blue. Off of the belt was three long strands of orange feather like structures, looking very much like tail feathers suddenly. Shun looked at his brother carefully, sizing him up.

Ikki was staring at his younger brother, who was by now much more beautiful than he had ever been before. He was stunningly beautiful and still so small. However the shyness had long since left his eyes, and they weren't quite so innocent anymore. He had shoulder length emerald green hair with eyes much the same shade as his hair. Somehow that complimented the armor that he wore even more than it had before and the pink made him seem both gentle and fierce at the same time. He wasn't sure how that worked at all.

The crowd was silent as well, looking between the two brothers and trying to figure out how they were related. As Arles had said, there were similarities visible. They had much the same shape to their faces and the slopes of their noses were similar. However that was about where all the similarities ended. Then, to the crowd's astonishment and Ikki's, the chains on Shun's armor began to move.

Though Shun loved his older brother and didn't want to fight him, his Cloth could sense the sheer danger that Ikki posed. The chains tinkled with a pretty sound as they slid out and away from his gantlets and sat waiting in a large circle around him. Those watching paused and gasped at the sight, noticing the spiraling formation and noticing instantly the resemblance to the Andromeda Galaxy. They could only suppose that it did make sense, seeing how he was the Andromeda Saint. Shun sat silently in the center of this ever shifting galaxy, watching his brother carefully.

Ikki snarled and bristled. He was never one to back down from a challenge, and Shun could see that the boy was doing nothing other than venting some unnatural anger that was in his soul. He wasn't sure what was going on in his brother's eyes, but he knew that he was going to attack and not hold back. There was no love in his eyes for his younger brother that he'd protected and kept safe for such a long time. Shun didn't let himself wince though. In battle he couldn't let himself show any weaknesses. He watched Ikki a moment.

" _It has been a while brother,_ " Shun said in Japanese, and Marin loudly translated into Greek in response for everyone else. " _And I can see that the world has not been kind to you._ "

" _Are we going to talk?_ " Ikki hissed in reply also in Japanese. " _How like you. You always were too weak to amount to much. I doubt you can last very long in the ring with me._ "

" _I will warn you once,_ " Shun said, ignoring his brother's scathing remarks. " _Back down now. If you don't then I will do everything in my power to defeat you._ "

" _What are we standing around talking for then?_ " Ikki hissed.

Shun closed his eyes and let out a quiet and sad sigh. It was true then that his brother had dramatically changed. He had seen it, but he had hoped that his brother would see reason. Since he refused to then he supposed they had nothing to do but fight. He didn't move his position though as Ikki launched forward to attack his brother. As soon as he drew close though the chains of Andromeda's Cloth seethed like an angry ocean and snapped upwards at him to beat him back. Ikki quickly leaped back, knowing it was far better to be safe than to find out what those chains did if they touched him the hard way. He growled and looked at Shun, who looked up at him.

" _The Cloth of Andromeda is a special Cloth,_ " Shun said. " _It is balanced by attack and defense. The chains themselves are alive and can move even if I don't move them myself. One chain is meant for attack and the other defense, but both may attack and defend at will. If you want me, you're going to have to get past these._ "

" _And if you want to defeat me,_ " Ikki growled. " _you're going to have to attack me. You can't hide behind that wall forever. Fight me!_ "

" _I told you that the chains have minds of their own,_ " Shun said. " _However if you so insist I will fight you. I hope you're ready for it._ "

" _Bring it on,_ "

Shun raised his hands, and the chains on his gauntlets began to eagerly move to respond to his will. They snapped and waved in the air, violently warning the Phoenix Saint from stepping forward to hurt their owner again but moving under his command. The Cloth of Andromeda itself was more than willing to follow the will of its owner now that it had been reunited with him after so long.

The Andromeda Saint had always been considered a rather weak Saint, if only for his large heart. However Shun now knew how to tap into much more of his Cosmos than ever before. Not only that, he could use enough power to fight against a Gold Saint on equal footing, if not defeat them. As he reached for his Cosmos, the feminine power could now feel this in him and agreeably let him access even more of its power as Ikki snarled and watched him. Ikki launched forward again, but Shun pointed at him.

"Nebula Chain," Shun cried.

Ikki's attack was ground to a halt by Shun's Chains, which whipped out towards him with a vengeance. Seeing the chains Ikki leaped back to avoid them, but he still got hit squarely in the chest with the attack. He staggered back, surprised at the force of his younger brother's cosmos. No other Saint other than a Gold Saint had managed to best him like that before now. He snarled and bristled, meeting Shun's eyes with a clear challenge. Shun didn't let him launch forward again for an attack.

"Thunder Wave,"

As his chains were retreating from the attack of Nebula Chain, the diamond shaped one shot forward again instantly to respond to his command. Ikki snarled and prepared for this one, intercepting the attack with his fist. He burned his flaming hot Cosmos to stop it, and he gave Shun a snarling smirk that told Shun that he thought he'd defeated it. There was no way he could pull his chain up in time now to keep it from smashing into Ikki's fist. This would leave Shun open to an attack. However Shun only smiled back to him.

" _Your fire is indeed strong brother,_ " Shun said. " _But its not strong enough to stand up against the raging wind._ _That spark will go out._ "

Ikki didn't have time to wonder what Shun meant as the Chain, upon nearly reaching his fist, suddenly changed direction and shot off to where they couldn't see. Confused, Ikki spun around to try and see where it had gone, only for the chain to hit him squarely in the fast. He got blasted hard from the wind off of his younger brother's cosmos and was knocked down. Shun's chains retreated again as Ikki picked himself up and snarled at him and the crowd murmured appreciatively. They'd never seen Ikki knocked down like that before. Ikki however hardly seemed phased by the attack.

" _You don't seem nearly afraid enough,_ " Ikki growled. " _Let me to fix that._ "

Shun looked up in some confusion at this sentence. It seems he had finally pushed Ikki enough that he was going to be sure to land some sort of hit on him. Getting past his Chains wasn't going to be easy, but he supposed that it was going to come to that eventually. Shun tensed a little as he continued to watch Ikki carefully as he the Phoenix Saint eyed him, looking for an opening and preparing to leap forward into battle. Shun knew that his chains could react quickly, but sometimes even they weren't quick enough. If he could get close beyond their reaction time he might be in a bit of trouble. But he had to be prepared for it. If he couldn't smack some sense into Ikki then he'd never have any chance to find out what was wrong with his brother.

Ikki launched forward again, this time skipping just beyond the reach of his Chains and dodging them as they came close. He was faster than he looked, a lot faster. He slipped up right next to Shun and raised his hand to punch, but to Shun's absolute surprise he went past him. Then however he felt as if a spark had just went through his mind and he saw something else suddenly as he heard his brother call out a single attack.

"Demon Fist," Ikki cried.

Shun suddenly found himself as a young child again, standing on the pier and watching the boat that was taking his brother leaving again through the waters. He stood silently, watching it go and wondering what had happened. It must have been Ikki's power. He turned and found himself suddenly facing his old friends. Seiya, Shiryu and Hyoga were all standing there. However they seemed to stare right past him.

Others were there as well: a boy with black hair and dark gray eyes named Nachi, a huge boy with purple tinted hair and dark eyes named Geki, a shorter boy with dark black eyes and white hair parted to one side of his head named Ichi, a larger boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes named Ban, and a shorter boy with lighter brown hair and brown eyes named Jabu. They were standing off to the side and were also looking right past them. He realized suddenly that he was younger as well.

"Guys?" Shun asked carefully. "What's going on?"

At the sound of his voice they all turned to look at him and glared at him darkly. They all bristled and Shun paused, reaching for his cosmos. He froze in surprise when he couldn't feel it, and the boys all laughed cruelly at him as they surrounded him. Seiya punched him square in the chest, making him fall backwards onto his butt. Though it hurt, Shun wasn't one to cry anymore. He'd grown far too much to do so because of some tiny wound like this. He jumped up and blinked at them, unsure what was going on in this situation. Hadn't he just been fighting Ikki?

"What's wrong Shun?" Seiya laughed cruelly. "Why don't you cry?"

"We all know you're just a crybaby after all," Shiryu said with a snarl. The others all circled him, laughing at him.

"You thought we'd come back for you?" Hyoga laughed. "Why would anybody care about you, you weakling?"

"You promised me," Shun couldn't help but say. Ichi pushed him.

"And you broke your promise," he snapped.

"You ran off to the Sanctuary under Arles," Geki snarled. "Arles is cruel, and that makes you just as cruel!"

"I did it to protect everyone," Shun cried.

"We don't need protecting," Ban hissed. "You're the weak one!"

"You're nothing but a liar," Nachi snapped. "What kind of friend abandons his old friends?"

"I didn't-" Shun cried.

"You should have died while getting that Cloth," Jabu cried cruelly. "You're just a waste of space!"

Shun felt his heart hammering in pain. How could they say that? He hadn't known about Arles, so why were they blaming him for that? Besides, he had gone with Aphrodite to protect everyone. If he was finally strong he'd be able to protect people and not always be protected himself. He was tired of always being protected! They threw punches at him, trying to hit him, but he quickly shoved his way out of the circle, only to bump into someone else.

He looked up and found himself looking at the older and angrier version of his older brother Ikki, who just laughed at him cruelly as the children chased him and continued to hit him again and again. Ikki snarled at the boy as the other backed off, punching Shun with much more force. Shun went flying back onto the ground, and Ikki just continued to sneer and laugh along with the other boys.

"Why did you ever think I loved someone like you?" Ikki snarled. "I don't need love, and I hate you. You're too weak. You're no brother of mine!"

The words stung, but sheer instinct drove Shun to his feet. He leaped up and snarled back at Ikki, and it seemed that his friends, real or imaginary, all paused when they saw that face. Shun began backing away. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he needed to get away. He had to get back to wherever it was he was before. But then he paused as he saw Saori just as he remembered leaving her. She smiled at him sadly.

"Shun come here," she called softly. "Nee-San will protect you. I'll save you Shun!"

Shun couldn't help but heed her words. He pushed past the other boys, who all watched him pass. He ran right to Saori and threw his arms around her neck, hugging her for all he was worth. She hugged him back, burying her face into his shoulder and he could feel her crying. One of her hands moved, but he paid it no mind.

"Nee-San," he said quietly. "I'm so glad to see you."

"I've missed you Shun," she said, sobbing. "But now you've joined Arles! I can't stand to think of what you'll become. I have to save you."

"It's okay Nee-San," Shun said. "I can protect myself. Don't worry about me."

"I have to save you," Saori sobbed. "I have to!"

Before Shun could ask what she meant he gasped and pulled away as he felt a sharp pain in his back and his chest. He looked down and saw the glinting tip of a blade died crimson on the ground. He looked up at Saori with utter shock and betrayal on his face, and she just broke down into tears and continued to cry.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be. That's right, he knew it wasn't real! Shun felt a splitting headache forming at his temples, but he forced himself to concentrate on what was real. He first found the sound of Ikki yelping and the sound of Chains snapping in the air. He found his sight come back next, then everything else. He had doubled over as if in pain, and his right hand was now clutching at his throbbing head. Ikki had wanted to show him fear, and he'd certainly done that. Shun forced his racing heart to calm and looked up.

Ikki was now being forced to flee from the Chains on Andromeda's armor as they had leaped forward to protect the boy. All eyes were now on Ikki, and it was obvious that the crowd was convinced Shun was done. Obviously this wasn't an attack that anyone had recovered from yet. However Shun forced himself to remember what his Master had taught him. He called the Chains back, and they fell silent suddenly as he staggered to his feet and gave Ikki a fierce glare. Even Ikki paused as the crowd gasped. No one had managed to recover from that devastating attack yet.

" _Impossible,_ " Ikki gasped, still in Japanese. " _That attack hits the mind directly and tears it apart._ "

" _Then it seems that my mind was stronger,_ " Shun replied. " _If you want to defeat me you're going to have to try harder than that!_ " Ikki snarled.

" _In that case,_ " Ikki said. " _let me show you a fire your wind can't hope to blow out!_ "

With that Ikki snarled and leaped back a bit. Shun could feel that his cosmos was about to explode, and he braced himself for the attack. Ikki moved his arms as if he was flapping wings, then he pointed his fist right at his younger brother, snarling angrily the whole time. Shun could feel the heat beginning to rise as fire sparked in the air, seeming to form the large bird of legend behind his older brother. Fire suddenly sparked from Ikki's fists and slammed into Shun sending him flying back with a yelp. Shun landed hard on the ground.

"Flight of the Phoenix," Ikki snarled.

Ikki, still shooting fire from his fists like a human flamethrower, snarled and turned his fists towards Shun again. Shun forced himself to stand and raised his hand. Suddenly the round chain began to spiral around him, and wind was blowing off of the chain. It was his special defense, one that was powerful because of the powerful cosmos that accompanied it. As Ikki turned up the heat, Shun summoned more wind to create an invisible barrier around his chain and keep the fire from touching him. This time the fire hit dead on and encircled the boy, however with the wind blowing around him and making it impossible for the flames to reach him he hardly felt the heat at all.

"Rolling Defense," Shun cried.

Ikki paused when he noticed no change in Shun's posture. In fact he hadn't moved at all. He snarled and poured on yet more heat, enough so that even the people in the stands were quickly retreating from the fury of Phoenix. However Shun didn't seem very affected by this at all even though he was in the middle of that raging inferno. Finally though Shun had decided he'd had enough of the fire and summoned more wind from his cosmos. It utterly disrupted Ikki's attack and blew the inferno out in a second. Ikki bristled and snarled in surprise.

" _If you want to see my wind,_ " Shun said. " _then I'll let you. Your hatred and flame are nothing compared to this wind._ "

Ikki was unsure what Shun was doing. However Shun knew that this was no time to back down. He didn't want to hurt Ikki, but his brother refused to back down and wouldn't listen to his words. The only thing Ikki would listen to was power, and if Shun was stronger than him he'd have to listen to him. Right now this was what he had to do to protect Ikki. Besides, if his brother continued to act this way Arles would eventually grow tired of it and then who knew what would happen then? Shun's fierce eyes met Ikki's as he held up a hand.

"Nebula Stream," he cried.

Even Ikki winced at the weight of Shun's cosmos as it exploded to allow for the attack. Aphrodite didn't really respond either way as he watched, simply watching as his student's true power was revealed at last. Arles glanced towards the Gold Saint, however he seemed very pleased by what he was seeing. For being the Andromeda Saint, Pisces had certainly trained him well. Hurting the young Andromeda Saint wouldn't be nearly so easy now that he was so powerful. Even Aphrodite knew though that there was no changing his gentle personality. He was still kind and gentle and always putting others before himself. However he was more powerful than ever.

The that appeared seemed to be a pink color, and while normally that might seem so ridiculous for a male Saint, it was anything but. The wind slammed hard into Ikki's chest and sent him flying back into the stands behind him. Several Saints were now quickly dashing to avoid the wind of Andromeda. Arles had spoke true when he had said that it would be an interesting battle. They were largely matched in power. The wind of Andromeda and the fire of Phoenix were powerful forces that were clashing now on the battlefield. Arles was pleased to see that both of the brothers were much more powerful than Bronze Saints and within his grasp. These two he needed in his collection.

Ikki shuddered and stood, snarling a little and glaring at his younger brother. The two had already done a number on each other, and both were pretty hurt. Ikki wasn't one to back down at all, and he was willing to keep fighting. He was only fighting because of his anger and hatred after all. He had nothing else to fight for. He bristled as he looked at Shun.

" _You get one more warning brother,_ " Shun said. " _Back down now, or you will see the true strength of my wind._ "

" _Show it to me then,_ " Ikki snarled.

Shun sighed and closed his eyes a moment. As he thought, Ikki wasn't going to listen until he knew that he had been beaten by his own younger brother. With this in mind, Shun shifted his pose suddenly and pointed his hand towards Ikki. Even Aphrodite bristled and stared at his student at this, knowing exactly what was next. The Saints who saw this all paused and looked nervously down at Shun. What was the boy doing now?

Wind began to whip around the battlefield, sending the hair of both Saints flying a little as his eyes narrowed. The spectators began to back away nervously, wondering where the wind had come from. Even Ikki seemed a little surprised by the sheer power he felt pouring off of Shun now. More of the pink wind appeared and began to swirl around at their feet.

"Nebula Storm," Shun cried.

The pink wind leaped up instantly before Ikki could react and wrapped him into a funnel cloud of pink wind. The wind picked Ikki up into the air as it smashed into him again and again with devastating accuracy, throwing him up into the air. Ikki screamed as his Cloth shattered from the sheer amount of power and wind hitting him and cutting into his body and cloth in mere seconds. As the attack ended Ikki came crashing back down to the ground, clothless. Ikki managed to stand on his feet again and Shun gave him a clearly challenging look.

Fire swirled suddenly around Ikki's feet, encasing him within the flames. As it burned and swirled Shun paused to see something formed within it. Then as soon as it had come it disappeared, leaving Ikki standing hurt but with a perfectly fine Cloth on. The reborn Phoenix cloth didn't have a scratch on it and looked shiny and new. Shun realized that it was because of the myth of Phoenix. Whenever the cloth was destroyed it came back as good as new, reborn from the flames.

For a moment as the two brothers sized each other up, it seemed as though their cosmoses were doing the same. Near them could be seen the mirage of their cosmoses, as often the case with Saints. The cosmoses overhead were in turmoil as the two Saints watched each other, snarling and sizing each other up.

Behind Ikki appeared a fiery bird with beautiful tail feathers and a graceful neck, flapping its wings and cawing again and again. Behind Shun appeared a beautiful woman with long pink hair, blue eyes, and wearing a white robe with chains on her wrists, glaring at the bird and pointing at it with the silent language of the cosmoses. The bird seemed to pause a moment, watching the young woman. Then it lowered its great head and disappeared. The vision of Andromeda quickly disappeared as well, and then Ikki lowered his head to Shun.

" _You are stronger than me,_ " Ikki begrudgingly acknowledged. " _Our fight is over._ "

With that and Marin's translation, Arles suddenly stood and began to clap. The startled Saints could only clap as well. They were absolutely stunned that the ferocious Phoenix Saint had actually lost to someone, but more than that, apparently to his little brother! Ikki snarled and bristled at them, but Shun's eyes remained on his older brother. A little confused Ikki turned to look at his younger brother, who motioned for Ikki to follow him once the commotion had died down. Ikki bristled a little but nodded, suddenly seeming much more manageable.

"As expected from the student of Pisces Aphrodite," Arles said. "Very well Shun. You have passed my little test. Everyone be sure to welcome our newest Saint. This one I welcome with open arms, foreigner though he may be. Shun you're dismissed."

Shun nodded as the stunned Saints and Sonata Saints continued to clap. They were unsure what else to do at this point. Shun motioned for Ikki to follow him and turned to leave the arena. Ikki bristled but followed silently as he walked away, and no one dared to step in the way of the two insanely powerful brothers.

Knowing that Ikki wouldn't want to be in the public eye after his recent and (well probably rather humiliating) defeat, he led him silently off to a place where they could talk quietly without being interrupted by anyone. Without even looking at him, he could tell that Ikki had realized this and was begrudgingly thankful for it. It was in Shun's nature however to be so easily able to pick up on what his older brother was feeling, even if Ikki tried to keep his emotions hidden from everyone.

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 **There was chapter three! OMG! A long chapter guys!**

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 **Ikki's attacks are based off of the English Dubbed version of Saint Seiya, and that's just what I decided to stick with because they're easier to do. This introduces the strange family relationship that Shun will have with Ikki until Ikki realizes that he does love his brother again. By which times there's going to be a lot of confusing stuff going on.**

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 **There will be another chapter focusing on Shun and Ikki and how Shun is accepted into the Sanctuary, then I'll skip over to show what Saori and her Saints are up to. Well explaining that is going to be a little confusing, and its going to worry the heck out of some young Bronze Saints. Should be fun right?**

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 **Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed and feel free to leave a review below.**


	5. Chapter Four: Andromeda's Love

**Here we go again with chapter four guys! Thanks so much for everyone who has supported this story so far, and I'm getting a lot of chapters out there quickly. If I ever have to go on hiatus for a while I won't be posting everyday, but I never plan on abandoning a story ever!**

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 **This chapter will have some moments between Shun and Ikki and will start to rebuild the relationship that they had lost because of Ikki's training on Dead Queen Island. Soon after this though, the plot will begin to move more.**

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 **Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and feel free to leave a review below.**

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Chapter Four: Andromeda's Love

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Shun stopped at last where no prying eyes would see them and crossed his arms, letting out a sigh. The chains on his armor clanked comfortingly in the wind as his older brother stopped behind him and glared at the back of his head (though it was certainly no longer in a challenging way. He'd had enough of that). Shun turned to look at his older brother, and Ikki only snarled at the much gentler eyes that he'd given his older brother. Shun watched Ikki a moment, looking at his damaged body and perfect cloth. Then he sighed.

" _I didn't hurt you too bad did I?_ " Shun asked in Japanese.

" _And what do you want?_ " Ikki snapped. Shun gave him perplexed look.

" _Want?_ " Shun asked. " _Nothing other than to be a good brother._ "

" _I don't believe that,_ " Ikki snarled. " _No one is kind to someone for nothing._ "

" _So when you were younger you were kind to me because you wanted something?_ "

Ikki fell quiet and suddenly looked away. He couldn't answer that question, because in fact he had been kind to Shun out of love. He had really loved Shun and had only wanted the best for him. Even now Shun was a weakness that he had never quite erased from his heart. He snarled at Shun and backed up a little. Shun just shook his head.

" _You can't fight with this hatred Ikki,_ " Shun said. " _It won't get you anywhere._ "

" _Hatred is the only way to use the cosmos,_ " Ikki snapped. Shun looked at him.

" _You can't say that,_ " Shun said. " _I was taught that the cosmos is stronger by loyalty and love for others, as well as the power to protect them and I beat you. Doesn't that make my way stronger than yours?_ "

" _Weakness,_ " Ikki snarled. " _That's all that is._ "

Shun turned and gave Ikki a clear look that told him that he didn't believe a word his brother was saying. Ikki quickly looked away, bristling and snarling the whole time. Shun could see that Ikki had been severely hurt by what had happened to him. Shun wasn't sure what was going on, or what had happened to his brother, but he did want to know. He was unsure how to ask Ikki in a way that would make his brother talk about it. He wanted to help Ikki, but he was unsure what to say that would get him to open. Apparently though, Ikki couldn't hide his curiosity at his brother's confusion and turned to glance at him.

" _How did you end up being a lap dog for Arles in the Sanctuary anyway?_ " he asked. Shun paused and looked at him closely.

" _If I tell you,_ " Shun said. " _You have to tell me what happened to you._ " Ikki seemed to think for a long moment then let out a sigh.

" _Fine,_ " he replied.

Shun nodded as he thought back, trying to piece the information together in a way that would make the most sense to Ikki. He knew though that as much as Ikki liked to pretend that he hated Shun, some part of him was still protective of his younger brother and loved him. It was as evident to Shun if Ikki had said the same thing aloud. He could read Ikki but for his sake pretended that he really couldn't. He didn't want to push Ikki away now. Ikki was silent and listened now as Shun began his tale.

" _After you left,_ " Shun began. " _I was taken back to the mansion. Mr. Kido adopted me and I grew up for a year with Saori as her younger brother. She was -no- still is an older sister to me. She was always looking out for me, and life was a lot different in the Kido mansion. Technically I still am Shun Kido, though Saints don't really go by last names._ "

Ikki was silent. If the information surprised him he gave no indication of it and continued to watch Shun's face as he told his quiet tale. Seeing that Ikki refused to say anything at all he turned his eyes down towards where the other Saints were. It was rather silent here, but it was a good silent. It was a good place for them to collect their thoughts.

" _After that my Master appeared,_ " Shun continued. " _Pisces Aphrodite. He's known in the Sanctuary for being a person who thinks the most beautiful thing is power. However there's a side to him that few people know. He can be very gentle and attentive. He never pushed me farther than I could go, and patiently taught me for five years. He_ _was always careful and kind. Though he rarely shows his heart to others, he's caring. He also isn't fond of Arles any more than most Saints are, but he'd rather pretend to be loyal and avoid his wrath than be hurt because of it._ "

" _And you're the same?_ " Ikki asked.

" _I am,_ " Shun replied with a nod. " _My Master seems rather, well inclined to keep me out of danger. It seems a little odd honestly._ _But he taught me many things, and trained me fighting against him everyday, so I'm roughly as strong as a Gold Saint. He taught me all the techniques I know. He also taught me that love was what held the Saints together, and the most powerful cosmos was filled with love and loyalty. The greatest thing he taught me though was that the cosmos is always growing, and even the cosmos of a Bronze Saint can grow to be the level of a god's._ "

At this Ikki was quiet and seemed to be watching his brother for a long moment. Shun wasn't sure what he saw flickering behind his mysterious eyes. Was it disbelief? Anger? Jealousy? He couldn't tell, but at least now he wasn't snarling so much at him. Even with the large scar across his face Shun had to admit that he was a good looking young man. He could be so much more if he would only let go of the anger that he was holding onto.

Ikki's shoulders suddenly seemed stooped under an unbearable weight to Shun's eyes. What could he have seen that would make him so angry and hateful, and at the same time so sad? Ikki saw Shun looking, but though he wanted to be angry he couldn't find it in himself suddenly. Shun's eyes were so gentle, so caring. They were looking to understand and know. For a moment he wasn't sure he was looking at the same person. The Shun he had known had always been kind and gentle, smiling to say the least. And yet this boy was so much more...well mature. That same kindness and gentleness were definitely still there. He was still Shun. However there was something far more knowing and far more perceptive in his eyes.

Ikki looked away from him. He didn't want to look at him. It had been so easy while they were battling, and before Shun had made him pause to think, to hate him. But now that he was face to face with his younger brother and forced to think about the things that he was saying rather than blindly act on them he couldn't do that. As much as he hated to admit it, he was completely blind with rage. He wanted to hate everything like he had been taught, but somehow he couldn't find himself hating Shun. He had wanted to hate him for his weakness, but he was anything but weak. Shun was suddenly far more wise than he had thought. He cleared his throat suddenly and turned his back towards Shun.

" _Well,_ " he growled quietly but in a much gentler manner. " _I suppose a deal's a deal. I promised I'd tell you about what happened to me if you told me, so here we go. After I left for Dead Queen Island the other children ganged up on me. They always did hate me. They got me pretty good, and once we landed on the Island things got worse. Several of the kids were killed on the spot for being 'too weak' and the rest of us were taken up to a volcano._ "

Ikki began to bristle at the thoughts that it dragged up, many of them obviously very unpleasant. Shun could only silently watch as his brother fought with the demons of his past. For a while Ikki fell silent and said nothing, but eventually he seemed to remember that Shun was behind him and glanced back. Shun's face was politely blank as he watched his brother struggle. Ikki bristled but began again.

" _It was hell,_ " Ikki continued. " _Everyday we trained by that volcano. Those that were merciless towards the others were rewarded. But my Master was adamant about teaching me to become the Phoenix Saint. He was a terrible man that always wore a mask and angrily punished me even if I did something correctly. Those that couldn't take the heat were taken down the mountain and trained to be Sonata Saints. They could only look up at the mountain and watch us toil on. They were glad they weren't up there with us._ "

Ikki's anger and rage came through clearly at the thought of the much easier lifestyle of those that had not been chosen as the Phoenix Saint. Shun was beginning to understand now, and he didn't like it one bit. How could his brother be so blind?

" _There was a girl,_ " he said. " _Her name was Esmeralda and she reminded me of...someone. On the island girls were sold into slavery at a young age, but she always came up to tend to my wounds. She was the closest thing to a friend I'd ever had on that island. But one day while I was training she had come up to see me and my Master attacked her and killed her. He killed his own daughter!_ " Ikki grit his teeth and clinched his fist. " _She died then. It was the first time I could reach my cosmos as Phoenix. I learned the anger and the rage my Master had been trying to teach me and I killed him. It was the only time he praised me, as he died._ "

Shun was utterly confused and looked up in surprise as he heard this. So his Master had taught him nothing but hate and anger? Ikki would never be able to reach his cosmos in another way, and Shun knew that well. He also knew that the Phoenix Saint had never existed until now since none could put on the cloth since it was forged in the age of myths. However, he knew that he had to help Ikki somehow. His anger only made Shun sick though.

" _I wanted to give them all hell,_ " Ikki growled. " _I still do. I went down the mountain and defeated all of the Sonata Saints there. Hah! And they dared to call me a friend then! When they had attacked me and watched me suffer time after time. They were sorry when I brought all of my wrath down upon them though. Oh I didn't kill them. They'll arrive in the Sanctuary sooner or later. But_ _I taught them a lesson they'll never forget. I was undefeated except by a single Gold Saint until I fought you. I still want to give them all hell._ "

Now it was Shun's turn to get mad. How could Ikki just turn his back on all of his friends like this? Maybe he had been hurt beyond what they could hope to heal, at least quickly, but that didn't give him the right to be so angry or so filled with rage. Shun wanted to help his brother, but now that he understood what was going on in his head he was only disappointed in him. He had the tendency to explode like the volcano, and Shun could see that well. And he was certainly powerful. But Shun had already proven that love was far more powerful than his anger and hatred. What Ikki needed now wasn't sympathy or pity. He needed tough love, and Shun was going to have to be the one to give him the harsh words he needed.

" _No,_ " Shun said with a growl in his voice. " _You're not. You think you're the only one who went through hell? There are plenty of Saints that have had horrible Masters just like yours, but you don't see them trying to murder people._ " Ikki bristled and whirled around.

" _Like you could understand it-_ " he began.

" _Enough,_ " Shun snapped, glaring angrily at his brother. Now it was Ikki's turn to pause speechlessly in surprise. " _I won't allow you to continue to fight this way. Don't you remember the promise you made me? That you'd get that cloth and come back? Well you have that Cloth but you never came back. Until you_ _can remember that you don't have to hate everything you'll never truly be Ikki, or my brother._ "

Ikki was unsure what to say as he stared at his little brother who was now glaring at him. And yet somehow his eyes were still gentle and full of compassion towards him. It utterly confused Ikki. He had never seen someone look like that at him.

" _You hate those Sonata Saints?_ " Shun continued. " _They were worried about you Ikki and they couldn't stand to see what you'd become. They're probably still really worried about you. Yes, they hurt you, but they were scared children. Now that they see what they've helped turn you into they can't stand it. Do you understand Ikki? There are plenty of people trying to show you the love you so desperately hide from, but you keep pushing them away._ "

Ikki bristled a little. Love? He had no need for it. But as he opened his mouth to begin to speak Shun's fierce gaze held him back. He blinked and looked at him carefully. What was he supposed to say in response to the younger boy's anger? What could he see? Somehow this anger seemed to be filled with something other than just pure rage. It was disappointment and love. Ikki was confused. How could those things exist within the anger that he knew so well?

" _Yes your Master broke a precious bond to you,_ " Shun snarled. " _and you're grieving. You're still grieving. It was the only kindness that you'd felt in a long time. But your anger and hatred are uncalled for. There's no need for you to take out your grief on others. You're weak._ " Ikki snarled.

" _What did you say?_ " Ikki snapped.

" _You heard me,_ " Shun replied challengingly. " _You're weak. You call me weak for showing kindness, love and compassion? Have you ever looked in the mirror? If what I have is weakness then what you have is cowardice!_ "

" _I'll make you eat those words,_ " Ikki roared. Shun glared at Ikki and didn't flinch.

" _Oh will you?_ " Shun asked. " _When you can't defeat me? You know you can't._ "

Ikki bristled but didn't attack. He knew Shun was right. He couldn't defeat his little brother. He'd already found that out the hard way. They'd injured each other pretty badly, but even he knew when to back down from a fight. Shun was stronger than he was, and his kindness would not hold him back in battle. Shun continued to glare at Ikki, but the rage of Phoenix was held in check by the steely glaze of Andromeda.

" _You're weak,_ " Shun repeated. " _And you're a coward. Do you know how I know this? Because you gave into your Master's hatred and anger. Perhaps Phoenix is a Saint of fire, and that fire is easiest summoned when you don't try to control it._ _That's all he taught you, how to use the hottest fire you could reach. It's the easiest route, the one that you chose. Your anger and hatred has made your flame powerful indeed. But it's the love and protectiveness that Saints feel towards one another that lets them become stronger and face even gods. What you have is a powerful flame. But when you do need help your flame will only flicker and die in the wind._ "

" _You're wrong,_ " Ikki snapped.

" _Then by all means prove me wrong._ "

Ikki paused and looked again into Shun's accusing eyes. There it was again, that love and gentleness that even in his anger he couldn't hide. Shun's words were tempered with rage, but they were still full of good wishes and love. He was helping Ikki in the only way that Ikki would listen. It was true, seeing how in his rage Ikki couldn't ignore or forget the words. He wanted to prove him wrong, but he suddenly realized that he wasn't sure how. Shun's harsh words were ringing in his head and he couldn't forget them. But somehow each and every word made Ikki begin to feel shame somewhere deep within his chest.

Shun crossed his arms, the chains on his armor clanking a little with an almost bell like sound as he looked at his older brother. Ikki wanted to be furious, to make Shun eat his words. However he knew that Shun was stronger than he was, and he wasn't going to just roll over and let him defeat him as Ikki had thought he would when he'd first seen him. Shun had changed, but some sort of wisdom was in his eyes beside the gentle boy that was still his younger brother. When Ikki didn't respond he turned his back to his brother.

Somehow the simple motion of Shun turning his back to him sent a pang through Ikki's heart that he failed to wrestle down. Even Shun had been unable to accept the person that he'd become. The Sonata Saints of Dead Queen Island had said much the same. They couldn't believe that he was the same person, and they had said that Shun would only be disappointed if he could see him now. They had no idea how right they were. Ikki looked down, unsure what to say.

" _Ikki,_ " Shun said, making Ikki jump at the suddenness of it. " _I'm here for you alright? Even if you don't like it. If you need someone to talk to then I'll be here to listen. It was time though that you finally listened to someone else._ " Shun paused, but his brother remained silent. " _And if you feel like your rage is getting out of control again, come find me. I don't really like fighting, and I don't want to hurt you. But if fighting me again and again would ease your anger at least for a little while then I'm willing to do it. I just want you to be my Nii-San again._ "

Ikki just watched Shun for a moment. Shun was right though. If he had reacted with pity or sympathy Ikki's rage would have only grown. However anger was something that translated well to Ikki, and his little brother's anger and unwillingness to accept what he had become had spoke much louder to him than anyone else ever had. The Sonata Saints had tried to be kind to bring him back, and it had obviously not worked. However Shun's anger had managed to chip away at Ikki's own and had shown him what people really thought of him.

Ikki could still see sadness in the boy's eyes, sadness at what he had become. There had been sadness in the others as well. But they had been speaking the language that Ikki had grown to detest. He didn't want their sympathy or friendship because he'd had that and it had been stolen from him. He didn't ever want to feel that sting again, so he resorted to anger and hating everything. However Shun's anger had something that he couldn't understand, love. Somehow this much more righteous anger had snapped Ikki back to reality even if he didn't want to admit it. For a few moments he stood there silently, then turned and walked away.

Shun sighed, but he knew that whatever demons Ikki was facing he'd have to fight them alone. Shun could only be here for him in the ways that Ikki would let him. Ikki's silence however proved to Shun that he had been right about him. He was grieving and didn't want to get hurt again. However his anger and hatred were wrong, and without friendship and love he wasn't going to survive long. Even Ikki knew that he needed this, and that's why he said nothing. Shun however was determined to be Ikki's ally, even if he didn't want him to be.

It was going to be along road, but Shun knew that Ikki could pull through it. His older brother had never let him down before, so he knew it was only a matter of time. With enough effort on other people's parts and his own, he'd be able to become much more like he was. Though the hatred and anger would remain in his cosmos, if he was able to love then he'd be much more happy and he wouldn't be alone. Shun knew that loneliness as a terrible thing.

The sound of someone approaching suddenly broke Shun's train of thought. For a moment he thought Ikki might have come back to demand a rematch, but he realized the footfalls were far too light. He turned and found the woman from before and another woman walking up. The second woman was thin and beautiful, also wearing a silver mask with blue markings on it. Her armor was purple and she had long green hair that was kind of like Shun's own but shorter and lighter in shade. She paused and nodded to him, which he nodded in return to. They were both Silver Saints.

"I am Ophiuchus Shaina," the stranger introduced herself, then pointed disdainfully behind her at the woman named Marin. "And this is Aquila Marin."

Shun looked between the two women carefully, unsure how to respond. He could tell that neither one of them were really from Greece, however Shaina seemed much more well respected here in the Sanctuary. Like Shun, she must have been accepted by Arles and therefore by the other Saints. Marin had obviously not and so it became clear that she was not treated well. Shun got the feeling that Shaina was a very powerful Saint as well. It was clear in the confidence that he held herself. Unsure what else to do he turned to Marin.

" _Neither of you are from Greece?_ " he asked in Japanese.

" _No,_ " Marin replied. " _I'm from Japan and she is from Italy. Shaina however is powerful and called the most powerful female Saint, so she isn't bothered. She was accepted like you were by Arles. Those of us that haven't been are often singled out because the Saints loyal to Arles do so, and it's far better to be in the crowd than also hurt. I don't blame them for it._ "

" _I see,_ " Shun replied.

So Shun had been right. He supposed that he didn't have to worry about Ikki then. People would be far too scared to try that with him. However it was also apparently expected that Shun be kind with everyone, so he wouldn't have to hurt anyone else. Maybe he'd even get to help with the situation here in the Sanctuary. He glanced back at Shaina. She certainly didn't seem like a bad person, just stuck in bad circumstances. He got the feeling that she only singled out Marin because, like the others, she was forced to go with the crowd. Marin certainly didn't seem to have any grievances with her, though she did stay a few feet away from her.

"I'm here because Lord Arles asked me to teach you," Shaina said.

"Teach me?" Shun asked correctly in Greek. The woman nodded.

"Exactly," she said as if already proud of his progress. "I'll be teaching you to speak Greek fluently so you can communicate with everyone. However knowing that you only speak Japanese fluently Marin is going to be accompanying us so she can translate your questions. Is this alright with you?" Shun nodded and smiled gently at the two women. "Alright then, come on. We might as well get started and let you rest a bit. That was one battle you had there."

Shaina turned and motioned for Shun to follow her. Marin nodded again to Shun as she turned to follow Shaina as well, and Shun silently brought up the rear. He was distracted by several things at the moment, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do about any of them. However a lesson in language and pronunciation would be a welcome change to all of the confusion. The two women and the young Bronze Saint made their way quietly to where their lessons would take place.

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 **Oh my gosh... I love you so much Shun! I found this chapter kind of cute, seeing how he'd reached Ikki somehow. It's one of my favorites so far.**

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 **Anyway next chapter will reintroduce Saori, as well as all of the Saints taking place in the Galaxian Wars (besides Ikki), as well as a few Sonata Saints. There's going to be a lot of confusion and shock in that chapter. Should be fun right?**

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 **I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to leave a review below telling me how you think I did. Thanks guys!**


	6. Chapter Five: Watchful Silence

**Hey guys and here we go with the fifth chapter of Saint of Sacrifice. Though Shun is the main character, we're going to skip over a bit to see what the other Saints (and the Sonata Saints from Dead Queen Island) are up to and the confusion from all of the news that they're about to receive. That'll be fun.**

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 **Thanks to Synoel and kage kitsune no yami for being the newest followers! It means a lot that you guys are helping to support me.**

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 **Assume that this chapter is in Japanese, because it's what they're all most comfortable with. It isn't specified, but that's what they're speaking. Anyway, let's go to the chapter!**

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Chapter Five: Watchful Silence

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A single silent figure stood in the Kido Manor. It had been six years by now, and it was about time for all those who were being trained to be Saints to come back with their cloths or not at all. Even so the girl's eyes were sad. It had been six years, and Saori had never really gotten over it. She had promised to protect Shun and now he was gone and she'd probably never see him again. She was taller now, and she was about fourteen. She was beautiful and was beginning to bloom into her full adult beauty. Her purple hair was long and now hung most of the way down to the floor. Her eyes were a deeper and sadder blue than ever before.

Part of her sadness was of course because of Shun. He was her younger brother, even if they weren't related by blood. She blamed herself for freezing when the strange Saint had come, for not trying to stop him. What would Ikki do when he heard about this? He'd probably hate her and would have every right to do so. Another of course was for her grandfather, who had passed away a year earlier. Shun didn't even know, and she knew he'd be heart broken. Then there were the Saints themselves that were coming back today. She'd never been kind to them, and she expected nothing but hatred from them. Even so, she was going to try to be kind to them now.

The door opened behind her, and she turned. Tatsumi, who hadn't changed much except that his shoulders seemed stooped with the burden of his earlier failure with Shun, was standing in the door. The man had never really be the same after Shun had been taken away, and after her grandfather's death he'd just seemed to lose something. However Saori was proving herself to be competent and so he wasn't very worried about it. He bowed a little to her.

"They've arrived," he said. "They're all downstairs in the lobby as you requested Miss Kido. They're about as rowdy as I remember too."

"Good," Saori replied. "Thank you Tatsumi. I'll go to them now."

Tatsumi nodded but frowned. It was obvious that he didn't really like that idea. As far as he was concerned those boys were still nothing more than trouble. He'd tried keeping them in line before and that had proved practically impossible. Now that they were Saints he had a pretty good idea that it was going to be even more impossible than before. Saori turned and silently made her way through the familiar hallways of the manor however to the main lobby, pausing just before she opened the door and stepped onto the small landing of the grand staircase.

She could see them outside, several Saints and some rather nervous Sonata Saints in many different colored cloths. She found her eyes however drawn far more to those that were proper Saints. There was Seiya, taller and more muscular, with brown hair and eyes in a silver colored cloth. Beside him were Shiryu and Hyoga, Shiryu with long black hair and blue eyes in a green colored cloth, and Hyoga with shoulder length blonde hair and icy blue eyes in a silver colored cloth.

There was also Geki who was huge and had short purple tinted hair and eyes in dark blue armor, Jabu with shorter lighter brown hair and eyes in purple armor. Ichi was in a lighter, more sickly colored cloth, still with dark eyes and white hair, and Nachi was about average height with dark black hair and dark eyes in a dark green armor. Lastly there was Ban in a bright orange cloth with brown hair and eyes. She quickly noticed that Ikki wasn't here at all, though she could see most of the other boys from Dead Queen Island had become Sonata Saints.

Saori braced herself and let out a soft sigh. Then she pushed the door open and stepped out to look at all of them. The nervous murmuring that had been going on down stairs suddenly fell silent as they all looked up at her. Seiya glared at her, and Hyoga looked largely indifferent. Shiyru nodded in a silent greeting, but the others all just seemed really nervous and looked away. Except for Jabu, whose jaw was suddenly hanging open. He quickly shut it when he saw her looking and looked away quickly. She let out a soft sigh and gave them a gentle but sad smile.

"Welcome back," she said. "It's been six years. My you've all changed. Please feel at home, as much as you can."

"You expect us to believe that?" Seiya asked. "After everything you and your grandfather did to us as children."

"Seiya," Jabu growled as Tatsumi bristled. Saori held up her hand to keep Tatsumi from retorting in a way that would make her seem even more like the bad guy.

"I'm well aware of what happened in the past," she said. "But many things have changed. Many things..." The boys all paused and looked up at her. "I have a lot to tell you, and I believe you have stories to tell as well. If you'll permit me to come down with you..?"

The Saints all silently looked at one another, unsure what to say. She seemed completely different from before, and they weren't sure what was going on. None of them really had that good of a reason to tell her that she couldn't come down though. They were Saints and she was just one girl. She couldn't really hurt them anymore, and as much as some of them didn't really like her (or rather how she had been before) she wasn't a problem for any of them. Seeing that no one had any objections she slowly and carefully made her way down the stairs and turned to look at them all.

"So," Seiya finally ventured. "what is this about things changing?"

"Well," she sighed. "Obviously as you might have noticed by now, my grandfather isn't here. He died last year, and I'm not really sure I want to continue the Galaxian Wars."

This certainly seemed to be news to the young Saints, who weren't sure what they were supposed to say in response to that. They were silent and blinked in surprise as the watched the young woman. Hyoga eyed her for a moment with his careful and icy eyes, then ventured another question.

"Would you know where Shun is?" he asked. "We made a promise to him." Saori looked away.

"The Sanctuary," she replied. The Saints all blinked at her unsure, many having never really heard much about the ancestral home of the Saints. Seiya however (who had been trained in the Sanctuary) felt his jaw drop.

"What?" he asked.

"When Shun was brought back to the mansion," she explained. "My grandfather decided to adopt him. Shun is like a little brother to me, but I haven't seen him in five years. He lived here with me for a year, but a Gold Saint came here. To keep him from attacking Shun went with him to the Sanctuary, and I don't know what's happened to him."

This news was strangely devastating to the young Saints. Of all of the people they didn't want to be mixed up in all of this craziness Shun was definitely one of the top ones. He had always been so gentle and kind. Would he have ever survived training to become a Saint? What other possible reason would a Gold Saint have for taking him in? Also surprising to them was the fact that Shun had been adopted by Master Kido, and so he was also part of the Kido family. Seiya on the other hand was frowning.

Seiya was familiar with the Sanctuary and its workings. He'd spent six years there after all, and Marin had been sure to teach him everything she could. She had warned him to never return because of the rule of Arles and his hatred of Saints that weren't Greek. That had Seiya worried for Shun. What if he had become a Saint? What would happen then? More than that though, he was confused about the Gold Saint. What Gold Saint would train a person like Shun? And why hadn't he ever seen Shun then? Shiryu noticed Seiya's thoughtful frown and nudged him.

"What's wrong?" Shiryu asked.

"I was trained in the Sanctuary," Seiya replied. "The thing is though, I don't know which Gold Saint would have trained someone like Shun. Another thing, why did I never see him? I know the Sanctuary in and out, and it's not a good place for people like us."

"Like us?" Geki asked in confusion. Seiya nodded.

"The Pope rules while Athena is not in the Sanctuary," Seiya explained. "The current Pope is a man named Arles and is the brother of the Pope who has disappeared. He hates any Saint that's not Greek, though he does tolerate the existence of some of them as long as he's impressed enough by their power. He's a cruel man. Bronze and Silver Saints live in the main body of the Sanctuary. The Gold Saints however live in the twelve temples that lead up to the temple of Athena. While each Saint has a constellation they represent the Zodiac and the temples are made to be the final defense of the Sanctuary. Gold Saints are the most powerful Saints and its rare that they train any Saint. There are several that would be fine training someone like Shun, but none of those would just attack randomly."

"Well what did he look like?" Ichi asked, glancing at Saori. She thought a moment.

"He was obviously wearing a Gold Cloth," she said quietly. "It seemed almost, fishlike? It's the only thing I can think to call it. He was a strangely beautiful man, and he seemed to like roses, even using them to attack." The other Saints glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. What kind of man fought with roses? Seiya however had utterly frozen. There was only one Saint like that. "He had longer hair, a pastel blue color, and much darker blue eyes."

Seiya's eyes grew darker. There was only one Saint like that, and the thought of him having trained Shun was not one that sat easily with him. For one, he wasn't exactly viewed as the nicest Saint and seemed to be fond of only power. Why on earth would a person like him want to train Shun? Unless he had sensed something...but because of seeing Shun? Seiya couldn't imagine what that was. However he had heard of this Saint's mysterious pupil and he had never seen him. It made sense then why he'd never seen Shun at all. The other all noticed his dark and thoughtful gaze and paused as they watched him a moment.

"Seiya?" Nachi ventured. Seiya looked up.

"There's only one Saint in the Sanctuary like that," Seiya replied. "And he isn't really known for his kindness. In face, many Saints describe him as cruel." The others all paused in horror. And that person wanted to train Shun? "His name is Aphrodite, spelled but not pronounced the same as the goddess whose myth corresponds with his cloth. His cloth is Pisces, the twin fishes. The myth goes that Aphrodite and his son were turned into fish to avoid the murderous Typhoon. However his cloth has evolved over many years and his powers have changed."

"So what are the Gold Saints?" Ban couldn't help but ask.

"The last defense of the Sanctuary," Seiya replied. "Their temples are arranged in the same order as the Zodiac calender of Babylon, starting with Aries and ending with Pisces. It's also said that Aries is the gentlest and Pisces is the cruelest. Their signs are also visible on the clock that can be seen from anywhere within the Sanctuary, where dark flames count down the Gold Saints if enemies should manage to get past them. But just because Pisces uses roses, I wouldn't laugh at him if I were you. They're deadly."

"Roses?" Ichi asked with a raised eyebrow. "You can't be serious."

"I'm very serious," Seiya said, eying Ichi. "There are three kinds of roses that Pisces Aphrodite uses. There are the black roses that are said to be able to break anything they touch. There's also the devastatingly accurate white roses. These are thrown right at the heart, and they suck blood. When the rose turns red all the blood has been sucked out of the attacker's heart and they die. Finally are the red roses, which are poisonous. They can kill if they manage to so much as cut you. There's also a rose garden behind his temple. It used to be one path straight to Athena's temple, however now there are many branching paths where he grows his different roses and confuses people because of the potent poison of the red roses, known as Demon Roses. This is the last defense of the Sanctuary in protecting Athena. Even in death this Saint is said to be powerful still. His blood itself is poisonous because of living his entire life next to this garden."

"And if it's so deadly," Shiryu asked. "how is Athena supposed to pass?" Seiya thought a moment.

"I've heard there's a forth rose," the Pegasus Saint replied. "a blue rose. It's rarely seen but it's useful. As long as someone gets this rose they can pass through Pisces' garden without dying because of the potent poison. It's the only known antidote. However, its difficult to reach this part of the garden where they grow, and it's deep inside, where most people would grow confused and die before reaching it. Even if these roses could be obtained you couldn't leave. You'd be stuck wandering the confusion labyrinth of the garden until you died. Only Pisces himself and any he has chosen to taught the route can pass through to Athena's temple without growing lost and reaching impassible obstacles. Its supposedly the only way through, with a blue rose and Pisces as your guide."

"It certainly sounds like a powerful last defense," Hyoga said. The others could only nod in agreement.

This man seemed full of tricks and surprises, and they couldn't help but worry about Shun. Why on earth would he want to train someone like Shun? His reputation certainly wasn't one that seemed very comforting. Seiya was sure that this was the mysterious Gold Saint who had taken Shun with him to train the boy. It didn't seem like Shun would have survived under such conditions, and it made them both grieved and angry.

"However," Seiya said, suddenly gaining everyone's attention. "I had heard that he had a student, one that no one ever saw. It was most likely Shun, if what Saori said is correct." Saori motioned back Tatsumi who was indignant at the use of her first name. "I think he probably kept Shun up there for many different reasons, and one might be so he could become immune to the poison of the Demon Rose Garden. Masters and Students are often seen together in the Sanctuary, even if its a Gold Saint and a Bronze Saint, so if Shun has become a Saint it would make sense. Also, since Pisces Aphrodite seems to dead set on power, training him against such a powerful opponent every day would make Shun just as powerful."

The others all just shrugged, unsure what else to think. Seiya was the one out of all of them that knew the most about the Saints and the Sanctuary. Seiya continued to wear a thoughtful gaze that kind of surprised them all. For as rash as he continued to act, he was much more calculating that he had been before. His teacher, Marin, had certainly been very careful in her teaching of him. The Sonata Saints seemed to shift suddenly then, unsure. The Saints turned to look at them as finally one stepped forward to speak.

He was a tall and thin young man that was wearing a dark red armor that had a bird like symbol across the chest. He had longer blonde hair and dark red eyes. His name was Kiba and he was one of the many Sonata Saints of Dead Queen Island. He had honestly been one of the one that Ikki had hurt the most because he had always led the attacks against the boy. However he had felt horrible about it after the conditions on Dead Queen Island and had tried to make it up to him.

Like all the Sonata Saints, he was shocked to see the shock in Ikki. He had fought them before, but only ever to really protect Shun. This was beyond anything they had seen. Upon seeing the hatred and fury in the Phoenix Saint's soul they had all been hurt by his attack, though he had let them live out of spite and perhaps thinking they were far too weak. Kiba was one of the ones that had been burned the worst by Ikki's fire. He hadn't fully recovered yet, and there was a large red burn scar across his face from the attack.

"Since we're on the subject of the brothers," Kiba said. "we have something else to tell you. It's about Ikki."

The others all paused as they looked at the Sonata Saints, but most of them seemed unwilling to step forward. Kiba was suddenly the one spokesperson for the oddly nervous Sonata Saints. That was just great. Shun was now somehow involved in this huge mess, and something was wrong with Ikki. Out of everyone, why did it have to be the two brothers? The Saints however knew that they needed to know as much as they could about what was going on. Kiba sighed.

"Ikki is," Kiba said with a pause. "much different. Dead Queen Island was horrible. Our teachers killed some of us and most of that island was complete hell. All of us were at one point deemed too weak to be the Phoenix Saint, so they sent us down the volcano to train to become Sonata Saints. Three remained on that mountain. Two of them came down in caskets. The last to come down was Ikki, who was now the Phoenix Saint."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Geki asked.

"Well," Kiba replied. "no one else has ever been able to put on the cloth since it was forged in the age of myths. But besides that, Ikki wasn't the same. The way they were trying to teach us to reach the Phoenix cosmos was through anger and hatred. Out of all of that Ikki had resisted it the most. However something happened on that mountain. He killed his own teacher and attacked us without even batting an eye. And he's extremely powerful. That's where this scar is from."

The others were all shocked. This was yet another surprise to them. Of all of them, why would Ikki ever be hateful or angry about, well everything? He had always been kind and protective of Shun, and he had never really had a bad heart. Yet now apparently he was attacking his old friends and killing people for no reason. They knew that there had to be some sort of reason, but it was absolutely shocking none the less.

"What happened to him?" Saori asked. "Where is he now?"

"In the Sanctuary," Kiba replied. "Apparently a Gold Saint came and took him with him. I never saw or heard who though."

"I suppose though," Hyoga said thoughtfully. "that if anyone could manage to bring Ikki back, it would be Shun. I just hope they'll be alright where they are."

The others could only all nod in agreement. The Sanctuary seemed like a really horrible place, and no matter what had happened they still saw both the brothers as their friends. They wanted to find a way to help them, but they had no idea how. Ikki would be a problem, super powerful and full of hate. They had little information about Shun as well.

"We have to help them somehow," Seiya suddenly said. Everyone else nodded. "The problem is how."

"We'd need to get them out of the Sanctuary," Hyoga said. "The first thing we should do is get them as far away from Arles as possible. Though, there is the slight problem of Ikki's rage..."

"There has to be a way," Shiryu said. "If we could talk to them we might be able to fix this. Seiya, is there anything that we can do? Anything else you know about Saints?"

Seiya closed his mind a moment, wracking his mind. What could they possibly do that would draw two Saints out of the Sanctuary? They'd have to create a ruckus, and that meant that they'd most likely have to brave the thought of Gold and Silver Saints coming to investigate. That wasn't exactly a comforting thought. He thought hard, back to everything that Marin had ever taught him. Suddenly he hit on something and looked up.

"The Galaxian Wars," he said.

"The tournament?" Saori asked in confusion. "But why?"

"It's a myth that my teacher told me once," he replied. "It's said that whenever Saints feel other Saints fighting they feel a need to go and investigate. This grows stronger if two Saints are fighting and even stronger if there's a large number of them fighting. This also goes if it's Sonata Saints."

"So by having the tournament," Saori said knowingly. "We could draw Shun and Ikki out of the Sanctuary."

"Yes," Seiya said. "We COULD draw out Shun and Ikki. Or we could meet other Saints that were far more powerful."

"If we want to help them though," Hyoga said. "it might be the only chance that we get."

"We'll just have to hope that everything works out," Shiryu agreed.

Saori looked over all the young men standing in front of her. They all looked determined and were ready for what was coming next. She couldn't help but be a little surprised. They hadn't been so willing to fight before. But she could see the pride and the strength that existed within the Saints and had for centuries. Somehow she felt like she'd seen it before, but she wasn't sure where. She shook her head and nodded.

"I'll start the preparations then," she said. "Please, make yourself at home. Come Tatsumi, we have a lot of work to do."

With that Saori turned and left the Saints and Sonata Saints behind her. They were a little surprised at her words, and unsure what to think of the young woman. She certainly seemed a lot different now, but they supposed that it had been many years. Saori and Tatsumi silently disappeared into the large manor. And Saori silently promised Shun that she'd save him.

 **That was Chapter Five. I used this to kind of round out the story more and show what the others were doing. They still care for the brothers and they want to help them, even if Ikki is hateful and Shun is different. Eventually we'll see how the brothers react to their kindness and worry for them. You might not expect the outcome. At least not completely.**

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 **Kiba is an OC and I made up the blue rose. But it's an AU so it doesn't really matter.**

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 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a review below.**


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